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Re: [sangkancil] Ban on foreign workers
----- Original Message -----
From: Chin Koon Siang <KSChin@snt.com.my>
To: <Sangkancil@malaysia.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 14:48
Subject: [sangkancil] Ban on foreign workers
> From Stratfor-
>
>
> Malaysia's Ban on Foreign Workers Risks Regional
> Cooperation
> 0149 GMT, 000301
>
> The Malaysian government has forbidden the
> employment of
> foreign workers in 134 specific job categories,
> announced Deputy
> Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Feb. 28.
> By ensuring
> these jobs will only be open to Malaysian
> nationals, Badawi
> hopes to regain national support for his
> political party, United
> Malays National Organization (UMNO), and
> strengthen party unity.
> As a result of this action, though, the ruling
> government may face
> growing regional resentment.
>
> Presently, there are 697,219 registered foreign
> workers in
> Malaysia. Foreigners who currently hold
> positions in these now
> forbidden jobs may finish their contracted
> terms. Such forbidden
> positions will include that of musician,
> salesperson, insurance and
> real estate salesperson, office clerk, tour
> guide, mechanic,
> telephone operator and cashier.
>
> The ban on foreign workers is not in response
> to high
> unemployment in Malaysia. Unemployment in 1999
> dropped to 3
> percent and continues to decline. Instead, the
> move is aimed at
> serving a number of goals for the ruling party
> and leader ? to
> strengthen support for and unify the party. In
> the November 1999
> election UMNO lost many seats to its rival
> Muslim Parti Islam Se
> Malaysia (PAS), and the elections exacerbated
> UMNO dissent
> among members because of the ongoing trial of
> Mahathir's
> previous heir apparent, Anwar Ibrahim.
>
> Guaranteeing employment to only Malaysian
> nationals could
> garner lost support that UMNO needs to retain
> power and could
> undermine local support for PAS. Plus, the ban
> on foreign workers
> might help the party increase cohesiveness and
> make the party
> grow stronger.
>
> Party strength, however, cannot be secured
> unless Mahathir's
> successor, likely Badawi, has support. But with
> Badawi leading the
> effort to restrict foreign workers, he is
> likely to gain support among
> the electorate and increase his chances of
> being Mahathir's
> successor. Mahathir, 74, is growing old,
> leaving doubt as to
> whether he will even finish his term that ends
> in 2004.
>
> Badawi's announcement flies in the face of
> recent calls by
> Malaysia for increased pan-Asian unity. Both
> the Philippines and
> Indonesia, two of Malaysia's closest neighbors
> experienced high
> unemployment rates in 1999, with 9.9 percent
> and 15.5 percent
> respectively. The two countries also comprise
> more than 75
> percent of Malaysia's foreign workforce. Though
> the government's
> ban may fulfill lofty goals for UMNO and its
> leaders, Malaysia
> faces the possibility of receiving a cold
> shoulder from these
> neighboring countries.
>
> Malaysia is attempting to be a regional leader,
> urging Asia to
> increase economic and security cooperation. But
> by turning away
> immigrants in need of work and willing to send
> some of their
> wages home, Malaysia faces the risk of
> undermining efforts to
> improve regional cooperation.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> 1) But why Ananda Krishnan still have 2 "Mat Salleh" pilots to fly his
executive jet with 'x' number of "Minah Salleh" stewardess ????? What so
special about them?
>
2) But why MAS still have 24 foreign pilots to fly F50, B737 and B747-200?
What so special about them?
For info, we have hundreds of jobless licenced pilot in country and they are
equally qualified if not better. Could someone please clarify this?