SHAH ALAM: The Selangor State Government is considering enacting a law regarding the issuance of business licences to locals who marry foreigners in order to prevent licence manipulation.
The Selangor State Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman, Datuk Ng Suee Lim, said that the issue is acknowledged to exist in the state, making it difficult for local authorities to enforce the rules.
"It is evident on the ground that many foreigners have lived in Malaysia for a long time. Some locals are attracted to these foreigners, they get married, they use the opportunity to do business. That's true love.
"However, some marriages are not based on true love, but are instead fake love or opportunistic marriages solely for the purpose of doing business.
"It is evident on the ground here and there, and sometimes it is difficult to enforce. We visit the premises where the wife, a local, is named as the owner, but behind her is a foreigner. This often happens," he said during the Selangor State Legislative Assembly session today.
He was responding to an additional question from Abbas Salimmi Che Adzmi @ Azmi (PH-Seri Serdang) on whether the state government has plans to enact legislation to address the issue of foreigners marrying locals to obtain business licences.
As such, he said, cooperation will be sought with all agencies in order to find a holistic approach to the matter.
"There is a need to draft this policy. We need to seek and discuss how to address it," he said.