Govt can rid country of illegals in over one month, bosses risk whipping
KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakatan Harapan government is confident that it will be able to rid the country of illegal immigrants in just over a month, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Azis Jamman.
Azis said errant employers and their illegal foreign workers would not only be rounded up and issued penalties, but they would also be charged in court.
Employers harbouring immigrants without travel papers are liable to whipping.
“There will be no more compromises on illegals and their employers,” he said in a New Straits Times report yesterday.
Azis criticised the previous Barisan Nasional-led government for its failure in dealing with the influx of illegal foreign workers into the country.
“The previous government made many promises, but they did not walk the talk. There was little enforcement in the past. The situation in Masjid India (in Kuala Lumpur) is one example of how serious the issue is. If you visit the area, it feels like you are no longer in Malaysia,” he said.
Azis added Pakatan Harapan was clear on its target in addressing the issue of illegal immigrants once and for all and was determined to finish the job.
Part of PH’s election manifesto was to reduce the dependency on cheap foreign labour so that Malaysians seeking job opportunities were not forced to deal with depressed salaries.
He said the announcement by Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali on Saturday that the government would end its 3-plus-1 programme by August 30 was a warning to illegal foreign workers and their employers to take heed of what would follow.
“PH is a new government and we will prove to the people that we mean business. We want to clean up Malaysia. Of course, this is not an easy task and we know it,” said Azis.
He said the government had given ample time and opportunities for illegal workers and their employers to come forward to surrender themselves through the 3-plus-1 programme, where they would only be issued a RM300 compound and another RM100 for a special visa for the labourers to return to their home countries, without being charged. He said the move to end the programme on August 31 was in conjunction with National Day.