Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Legal Illegals?

[Warning: Damn Long Post!]

Home Minister on Sunday (June 7) announced the registration of illegal immigrants (workers and their families?) in Sabah to be extended until October 31. Not only that, he also announced the foreign workers levy to be halved starting July 1, 2009. He added the employers MUST take this chance. [Source]

Yesterday, he said employers who failed to register their undocumented foreign workers would be named and shamed. [Source]

A brief anecdots (tuned to my taste):- :P

August to October 2008:
Immigration Department in Sabah received 312,837 applications from a total of 22,862 employers to register their “undocumented” foreign workers & their families. [Source]

April 2009 (Rumour but based on the then DPM – now PM – mini budget talk):
Foreign Workers Levy to be doubled effective May 1, 2009. [My related post]

April 31, 2009:
Human Resource Minister announced the Govt had postponed levy increase/double until the economy became okay. [Source]

May 2009:
Sabah State Secretary announced a total of 389,129 illegal immigrants were arrested between 1990 and 2008 (roughly 19 years, translated to 20,480 per year, or slightly more than 5,120 per three months, please compare the Aug to Oct 2008 number above.) and 80% or 315,752 were deported back to their countries of origin. [Source]

My thought:
1. Wow! The employers must be very happy for the second chance.
2. The existing and/or elusive illegals don’t need to hide anymore now that they have second chance to be “legalised”.
3. The (unscrupulous) employers/agents say, “Welcome, please enter illegally and en mass, we’ll legalised (all of) you (for a “small” fee).”
4. The criminal illegals also get a second chance (based on last year experience) now that they can change they identities. And I’m accusing the Consulate of DOESN’T-CARE-LESS attitude. Read their previous assertion [Click on the pix to know more] (DUH! Cakap tidak serupa bikin!).
5. The Job Agencies must be very happy for durian runtuh (fortune) of getting businesses from employers.
6. “Deported? No problem! Just come in (legally or illegally) (again), we’ll legalised you (with new identity if possible) (again).”
7. This means more “income” for certain (dodgy) enforcers/officers during their “impromptu” and (questionable) “routine” rounds.
8. Has mine ears heard (or eyes seen) wrong? Within 3 months we get 312,837 “LEGAL illegals” vs 389,129 “ILLEGAL illegals” over TWO DECADES.
9. What with the fluctuating levy???
10. What about our own (scarce) good quality local human resource (but underpaid, just because foreigners are cheaper labour)?
11. The papers failed to mention that employers are not only companies, factories, construction contractor etc., all that may have more than one top executives (few individuals as boss), but also individual bosses e.g. landowners (usually agricultural), housewives who hire maid/s. The point is, 22,862 employers who registered the illegals are ONLY a fraction of total number of all the employers in Sabah. Yes, only 22,862 employers registered their legal illegals during Aug to Oct 2008 “Amnesty” program in the WHOLE of Sabah!
12. Not only that, there are still MANY employers who employ illegal illegals (as opposed to legal illegals registered by the 22,862). Of course I don’t have the prove, yet. However, try to ask (discreetly please) the job agencies about last minute frantic employers trying to register their “unlegalisible” illegals (because registration date was closed). You’ll find MANY of them there are still employing those “poor souls” because they couldn’t register their workers. *shrug*
13. And now, the Home Minister wanted to name and shame them. Wah! Very kaya ah the Ministry?
14. Where to to put the names? Newspapers? Have to print very small lah, who wants to read small font and boring lists? TV? Impossible task and wastage of rakyat money! Well, perhaps some “object learnings” where you prosecute only a few of those employers, save money and instill fear (duh!)? But fair or not? You tell me!
15. Ah, I forgot about internet. Who give a damn about some lists in the internet? Well, except you also forward their names to the bank or IRB (loan blacklisting) or Immigration Department (travel ban) or perhaps the police can arrest them all and/or prosecute them (someone asked me, “Wah, so free ah the police? No crime to solve/prevent?”)??? Or... or...
16. Someone tell me, “Need to survive mah.” Yeah right!
17. Oh, I have almost forgotten about the NON-compulsory preliminary medical checkup for legal illegals like last year. So, to all those who have INFECTIOUS and NOTIFIABLE diseases, you don’t need to worry because:
  1. The first year is exempted from checkups and the year after, you just need to find OTHER’s blood/body for checking (can use this for first years too);
  2. The “qualified health officers/staffs” are “susceptible” to being “ignorant” or easily “deceived” by the “evasive” foreign patients’ “tricks” in supplying health information or simply “equivocal” about how the health procedures are supposed to be conducted in TRANSPARENT and ETHICAL manners.
  3. Growarisan not yet (or won’t be?) exercising the new foreign workers quarantine procedures. Why? You go ask them!

Did someone just accuse me of lying about the claims above. I say, bring it on! And please, please be a RESPONSIBLE Malaysian and Blogger!

As much as I like to “vent” my thought, I think I must give constructive ideas as well. However, many people had voiced their proposals way better than what I would have given. So, I’ll just put few good links below: ;)
1. Set up Royal Commission on Inquiry [Related news]
2. Step up enforcement [Related news]

Disclaimer: No offense to the kind, incorruptible, hardworking and dedicated officers, enforcers, employers, job agencies and staffs, local civilians, tourists, and legal foreign immigrants (workers), and all their families. Oh, also to those innocent men, women, children and bystanders. :D

Cheers and have a nice and happy days. ;)

7 comments:

MariaFaizal said...

Hating the way home minister handles this illegals (since long ago). Why these illegals are given so much benefits that the locals are not granted the necessary. Issues about NRIC still not solved till todate. Furthermore, these illegals whom have contributed effectively to the increase rate of crimes are now granted with more time,chances to become legal? WTF?

MariaFaizal said...

Correction:
Typo the first THIS should be THESE..
Please change necessary to "necessities" & "privileges entitled"

Sorry that I'm prone to make mistake when saying/writing/expressing things in anger :(

Cheers bro!

Reanaclaire said...

good morning Chua.. well said.. it is not that we dont welcome foreigners..anything too much, too many... it will become a crisis.. in fact this has been forseen many years ago.. i remember last time when i was young, the surrounding was so peaceful esp during the nights, we dare to walk even backlanes.. now? no more dare... just beware...

AngeL BeaR said...

yeah...send 100,000 back then give them a month they multiplied more faster than a hamster could. They got even more during the election time. Trust me. =.=

Legalising them will make them more high and mighty on the streets. This time they can do whatever they wanted in our country, just like theirs lor...after all what to be scare of, they already consider themselves as legal liao~

There goes our tax money~

KY Chua said...

MariaFaizal: Thank you for dropping by, and for your opinions. :) BTW, cool down girl. :D Typos are okay as long as they're unintended. ;)

To tell you the truth, I am quite okay with registering the illegals but of course I DO have some reservation about the criminal illegals (and "legals" too) besides the things I mentioned.

I chanced to have a conversation with an illegal before he got arrested and deported. He said, "It's EASY for us to come here. I was deported before but here I am now," (saying that with proud smile).

It's totally alarming to me! What if the person in front of me at that time was a terrorist? Our security force keeps telling us there's nothing to worry! So, step up the enforcement please!

KY Chua said...

ReanaClaire: Thank you for your words. I agree with you. I welcome them as tourists. I welcome them as legal workers, to fill in VACANCIES, not to ROB jobs. I welcome those with good intention (travel, sight-seeing, legal job, investors, etc.) but not with criminal intentions...

Yes, I remember back then I used to feel safe walking in town, backlane, small trails. Okay, not exactly, I did feel afraid of the LOCAL bullies. Now, non-local "petty" criminals are more than locals. Criminal LOCALs nowadays are more about the "white collar" ones. *shrug* I don't claim to know about the crime statistic but it's just a perception.

But girls/women must always be careful more than the boys/men. So, I return your advice, you too be careful where ever you go. ;)

KY Chua said...

Angel Bear: Hello Angel. :) To tell you the truth, I only heard about the election things but never actually see them. So, I hope you'll forgive me to not to take your word on that. HOWEVER, I do notice investigation about the things you "claim" always gone cold, silent, idle or forgotten... ;)

Deport them, they'll come back. That's true. They seem to know more ways in and out than our security forces do. I overheard (but didn't notice who) a conversation between an employer and his would-be legal illegals:

"Can you go back and return undetected within 2 months?"
"Sure! Why on earth you want me to do that?"
"Got Amnesty mah, I need workers but no one (meaning locals) want (to work). Find me 20-30 willing workers and I'll give you double raise."
"Really? Sure I'll go tonight."
"Can get your family members ah?" (Laugh)
"Hahaha. Sure!" (Workers recommended by existing workers, especially with family ties are much more trustworthy and dependable).