KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today asked employers to stop the “craze” to hire foreign workers as the move will not contribute to human capital development but will instead have a negative impact on the nation.
He said hiring of foreign workers, be it legally or illegally, would not help to upgrade the technology in the country as the foreigners recruited are not highly skilled and have low productivity.
“We must ensure this craze to engage foreign workers is stopped. This is a big problem besetting the country in efforts to realise the goal of emerging as a nation of distinction.
“This is because the employers pay low wages and low costs. If they cannot get foreigners with valid documents, they go for those without documents.
“If this is their way when every time there are job vacancies, ultimately it will have adverse impact on the nation,” he said in his winding-up speech on the last day of the four-day Umno General Assembly.
Abdullah, who is also Umno president, said the government had made appropriate changes by ensuring children enjoy free education from Standard One until Form Five.
“This is in line with plans to produce quality and highly knowledgeable human capital to propel the nation to higher productivity.
“If before there were students who were unable to continue their studies after Standard Six due to poverty and some can only make it until SRP, (now Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR), but now there will be no more such dropouts.
“This will ensure they will at least have a higher education when they apply for jobs after leaving school besides ensuring poor students don’t drop out from school midway through their studies,” he said.
With the changes made by the government to the employment sector, expansive industries or new factories coming to Malaysia would be required to be hi-tech to guarantee higher productivity and quality products.
He said the manpower needed would be prepared and given early training in collaboration with the industrial sector.
“With the measures we’re taking, God willing, the craze to hire lowly-paid, low productivity and low-quality foreign workers will fade away,” he said.
Abdullah said he believed these changes can be done immediately as they are not something difficult with proper planning in place.
He said the foreign workers’ issue and employing locals would have an impact on the rural populace who are equally talented with the urbanites.
“Students in rural areas must be given equal education and skills training opportunities. We don’t want a situation whereby in towns it’s good and not good in rural areas,” he added.
– BERNAMA
