Businesses run by foreigners are growing in Klang

I refer to your investigative report, Businesses run by foreigners are growing in Klang town and note that this is the second time The Star Metro has highlighted the same problem of foreigners 'overrunning' the country, particularly in Klang. I had also expressed my fears many times in your paper,{Foreign Invasion in Petaling Jaya,  Concern over littering by foreign workers , foreign workers staying in slums, paying the price for cheap foreign labour, Malaysia a haven for illegal workers, and sex ring bust only addressing the symptoms } that the unrestrained influx of foreign workers for all sorts of cheap labour and even 'entertainment' will result in disastrous social consequences to our society. Our nation is already buffeted by global financial problems, imminent water problems in some States, unmonitored destruction of forests due to illegal timber extraction, dirty roads and clogged rivers. How is the country going continue to to provide the basic amenities to look after a large community of 'twilight' citizens who do not pay taxes but continue to share our country's dwindling resources such as water and livable space?

I agree that with a resident's comments when he "questioned how foreigners were allowed to operate businesses, especially when they came into the country with work permits. I do not understand why there is no action taken by the authorities,’’ 
It is simply amazing that Malaysia seem to be the only country in the Asia Pacific region that allow unfettered work and business opportunities for foreigners who admittedly all come to the country to seek work for a limited time on contract. For example, Philippines do not allow foreigners to take part in the retail business, and I am sure other nations in the area have similar restrictions. So, there must be something totally wrong with our Governments {State and Federal} when so many foreign workers, presumably coming here to work as labourers and guards, or who seek temporary political asylum, end up doing lucrative businesses for the long term. And do not appear to be returning ever to their motherlands.

While we seek to transform our country into a high income nation filled with opportunities for our citizens, through massive capital injections and transformation programs, nevertheless,  how are we going to deal with the onslaught of 'imported foreign workers' who seek to transfer their low cost low quality businesses from their homeland to our country?  Can our nation cope with an additional burden of 5 million foreigners, and have we taken account of their needs and their effect on the social fabric of the country?

The increasing number of grievances being aired clearly show our lives are being affected by such a force, and this is only going to increase as time goes by. If no serious action is contemplated by the Governments, I fear our nation will soon be just a myriad of multinational slums by the turn of the century.

We will then be truly Asia, slum-wise.