KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had brought in millions of foreign workers through their investments in manufacturing when they were in power, an Umno supreme council member alleged today.
Datuk Puad Zarkashi also claimed that the “uncontrolled” immigration led to social problems, after both former prime minister Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin, a former Johor mentri besar, criticised the Forest City development project in the southern peninsular state.
“Just look at the factories — look who’s inside, majority are foreigners. Their involvement in crime can threaten the country’s sovereignty too,” Puad said in a statement.
Puad also claimed that after Muhyiddin became Johor mentri besar, there was no more prime land in Johor Baru to be developed.
“Most of it was sold or fell under other parties’ ownership as a result of privatisation. What’s left is land by the seaside and rivers to be developed, like the Danga Bay development that also includes reclamation,” the former Batu Pahat MP said, referring to the waterfront property project that was launched in 2013.
Puad said land reclamation in the Forest City project was a result of the lack of prime land around Johor Baru, pointing out that Malaysia needed to compete with Singapore.
Dr Mahathir and Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar have been at a war of words over the Forest City project, with the former claiming that more than 700,000 Chinese nationals will be brought into the development and given identity cards so that they can vote in the next general election.
