BESIDES Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru is also known for its night life. An online search reveals a list of night clubs, pubs and lounges easily for anyone who wishes to use these services. There were even reviews on each venue highlighting whats good and whats not, making it a very handy guide for JB night lifers.
A patient of mine, a Thai young lady used to come with the complaint of an old pain on her Caesarian section scar. She is in her 20’s and the rest of the clinical examination was normal. There was no scar tenderness but she was adamant on receiving ‘pain tablets’. She works in a local night club.
After a few visits with the same complaint, I figured out that she mainly comes in for the simple analgesia that she gets. She wasn’t interested in any other investigations or referral to a Specialist.
Then there was a long period that I did not see her until she appeared again in my office, but this time bearing a different name. I could well remember her face and complaint. A senior nurse of mine inquired her on the name changes. She responded saying that her old passport ‘had problems’ and she had to do a new one. Well, a new passport with a different name means a fake identity and although her new name might work somewhere else, in a health care facility it doesn’t. We got her to re-register with her old name and retrieved her old file.
Foreigners who have committed offence in Malaysia such as a prolonged stay or misuse of the visitors’ visa are banned from re-entering this country. However, if they are able to apply for another passport from their own country, with a different bearers’ name, then its a different issue.
Malaysia and Its Reliance on Foreign Workforce
Foreign labor in Malaysia has shown a steady increase from just 250,000 per year to a great 2.5 million per year from the period of 1990-2010. Analysts have further estimated that there are currently about 4 million foreign workers in Malaysia, where only 1.8 million were registered.
Foreign workers come to Malaysia mainly from Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh, but in more recent years additional workers from Myanmar and Cambodia have been arriving in larger numbers. Other countries where workers come from are the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Pakistan, Thailand, China, and Sri Lanka but their total numbers are low compared to the other leading groups.
The history of foreign workers in Malaysia began in the 1970s and went through until the 1980s to support Malaysia’s growth strategy. However, formal guidelines pertaining to their employment were only introduced in early 1990s.
The official policy of the Government was to permit foreign workers as an interim solution to meet demands for low skilled labor in certain sectors of the economy such as plantations, construction sector and domestic employment.
Towards A High Income Nation
The Government supported immigration as part of its high growth strategy while it pursued a longer-term strategy to upgrade the economy and expand the supply of skilled labor. However, since the 1970s we have not seen a decline in the reliance of foreign workers. We are also yet to see an increase in the supply of skilled labor into the current workforce.
The recent spike in the need for Indonesian home maids was also due to the involvement of more and more women working as professionals in the workforce. The government also adheres to its commitment to reach a golden target of 55% of women in the workforce by the year 2015.
The issues of readily available night clubs, heavy reliance and poor regulation of foreign workers all contribute to a myriad of problems that we are currently facing in Malaysia.
Despite the increasing raids on illegal workers or prostitution sites, they sprung back into service just as quickly to a dismay of many.
Why are we being defeated in our own country? Is there a more ‘powerful’ force that stands behind all these illegal activities? Are they being protected and funded enormously?
These are the questions that we need to look into in order to successfully curb illegal and immoral activities. Enforcement has to work hand in hand with community education and adherence to good moral values.
The state of Johor is already famous for its high prevalence in Gonorrhea infection. Let us be famous for something else for a change.
Dr Nur Farrah Nadia bt Najib
Chairperson,
Biro Keluarga dan Masyarakat,
Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) cawangan Johor
re ,Despite the increasing raids on illegals workers or prostitution side ,they sprung back into service.
Is there really an effort ,was very much in question ?. It’s hard to believe that the there is an enforcement taking place .