Lawyers for Liberty has expressed concern over the rising
xenophobic and racist sentiments against the Malaysian government's plan to bring in 1.5
million Bangladeshi workers over the next three years.
Its executive director Eric Paulsen said it was unacceptable
that the people made sweeping statements that migrant workers would cause all
manner of social problems, including having relations with local women and
causing a rise in crime, diseases, security issues and even terrorism.
"Migrant workers are not in Malaysia to commit crimes,
bring diseases or harass local women. They are here to work, mainly in jobs
shunned by locals.
"They generally come from impoverished backgrounds,
having left everything behind and incurring huge debts in order to try earn a
living in Malaysia for their families and themselves," he said in a
statement today.
He said like everywhere else, there were individual cases of
migrant workers misbehaving or committing crimes, and they were rightly handled
by the relevant authorities.
The ministry said the number of Bangladeshi workers entering
the country would be assessed based on the qualifications and abilities of the
employer to comply with regulations set by the government.
He said like everywhere else, there were individual cases of
migrant workers misbehaving or committing crimes, and they were rightly handled
by the relevant authorities.
The Home Ministry in a statement last Thursday said there
was no specific figure for Bangladeshi workers entering the country because it
depended on the actual needs of the employer during the application.
The ministry said the number of Bangladeshi workers entering
the country would be assessed based on the qualifications and abilities of the
employer to comply with regulations set by the government.
According to the ministry, the figure of "1.5 million
Bangladeshi workers" widely mentioned in media coverage was actually the
number of Bangladeshis registered with the Bangladesh government for
employment.
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