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Zahid: I won’t allow foreigners to outnumber Malaysians
BY YISWAREE PALANSAMY
Sunday August 16, 2015
03:33 PM GMT+8
TAMPIN, Aug 16 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi assured Malaysians today that he would not allow foreigners who enter the country seeking job opportunities to outnumber the Malaysian populace.
In his opening address at the Tampin Umno division meeting here, Zahid who is also Home Minister said that in some countries, it is foreigners who are dominant while its citizens end up becoming the minority.
“In some countries, it is 60 per cent foreigners and 40 per cent citizens… I would not allow that to happen here,” he said to thunderous applause by the delegates in the hall.
“I will not allow foreigners composition to exceed local, but we have to change our minds… how many second and third generation Felda youths want to work in Felda picking fruits?” he asked.
The Umno vice-president was responding to complaints from Tampin Umno leader Datuk Shaziman Mansor, who in his speech earlier, urged the government to hire more locals into key sectors of the economy, pointing out the hotel industry as an example of a foreign workforce dominated sector.
“There are industries we can review like the hotel industry Datuk Seri Zahid
“If all the industries are opened to foreigners, then where are we to go? I hope you can review the industries and see where our people can work so that our economy moves on well,” Shaziman said.
In his speech, Zahid however said that the influx of foreigners is the “price to pay” in developed countries as most Malaysian “want easy work”.
“This is the price to pay in developed countries... our people’s problem, they will come and the hotels take them to work but after three months, they quit.
“It’s not that hotels don’t want to take Malaysians, but Malaysians want easy work… not all though,” Zahid explained.
Back in June, Zahid was reported as saying that 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh would be brought to Malaysia in stages over three years to meet the demands of employers from various sectors.
More recently, Zahid came under fire after a report by news portal Malaysiakini claimed that he had instructed the Home Ministry to award a management system contract for Bangladeshi workers to his brother’s company.
The ministry issued a statement later denying the matter, admitting however that there was a “note” on the working paper submitted by Real Time Networking Sdn Bhd ― whose executive chairman Datuk Abdul Hakim is Zahid’s brother.
The ministry did not divulge further details on the note but stressed that it did not amount to a directive or approval for the contract award.
The ministry added that Malaysia and Bangladesh will continue talks to ensure a quick resolution to the repatriation of illegal workers from the latter nation.
“We are also working together to establish the process for new intake of workers is done transparently and systematically in stages,” it added.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.co ... thash.ZMA599Vb.dpuf terima kasih, Zahid...
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