LETTERS: As of Sept 7, the government has barred the entry of foreigners from 12 countries into Malaysia to prevent an influx of Covid-19 infections.
This is a relief for citizens as the largest group of immigrants who enter the country come from Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines to work as cheap labour.
The recent rounding up of illegals within Kuala Lumpur and the ongoing immigration operations at illegal entry points are examples of just how much Malaysia remains at risk from imported Covid-19 infections.
Rich countries are spending billions on Covid-19 vaccines to keep this pandemic from worsening, but poor countries where Malaysia usually gets its foreign workers from are not able to afford them.
The simplest solution is to stop importing foreign workers. The recent directive to rehire them makes economic sense, but this policy is not enough.
There is a large number of Rohingya refugees in the country. Many are living off taxpayers' money instead of being allowed to work and pay taxes.
And there are thousands of illegals in Immigration depots awaiting deportation — all at our expense.
They should be made to work, as well as pay taxes and fares to return home.
This change in government policy will save taxpayers' money and provide a buffer for Malaysia to be rid of its addiction to cheap foreign labour.
It is time to make it a reality.For starters, foreign labour seems to be in great demand in sectors such as plantations, construction, restaurants, security services, waste disposal and domestic help.
While mechanisation has allowed farmers abroad to keep production costs low, why is it that Malaysia still can't do this despite its abundance of plantations?
The answer lies in need or lack of it. Why spend money on inventing more efficient machinery when there is readily available cheap foreign labour? The problem is foreign labour is not cheap.
This is the reason why many parties are exploiting foreign workers. From agencies in their respective home countries to medical check-ups, documentation and commissions — all these amounts to billions of ringgit but produces no real value.
Many agencies have exploited foreign workers. Once in Malaysia, these workers often suffer abuse from their employers.
Imagine if these billions of ringgit are channelled instead to innovating new machines for more efficient plantations.
Local sales and exports of such machines could outperform national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd.
The same arguments can be applied to other sectors where cheap foreign labour dominates.
Another reason, especially in the restaurant sector, is that Malaysians are lazy.
We aspire to become a developed nation, and yet we can't even clean up after eating our meals.
The pandemic has made us realise that we can no longer afford to be complacent as the global economic outlook looks bleak.
So let's take the initiative by ensuring that Malaysians always come first for jobs in the country while also working ourselves to become global champions.
It is time to be rid of our addiction to cheap foreign labour.
Muthu Raj
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times