Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Keep foreigners out of retail trade
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I REFER to the SMS “Help needed” (The Star, Dec 14) appealing to the Government for help to stop the illegal racket of foreigners taking over the operations and the retailing of vegetables and other supplies in the wholesale market.
It does seem like a desperate appeal from the rakyat who are at wit’s end falling foul to the thuggish tactics of allegedly illegal immigrants who monopolise this niche of the business.
The resulting effect of this is the surge in prices of basic food items at the pasar tani and pasar pagi.
It is moot to mention that it’s also putting an unnecessary additional burden on us, who already have to bear the indiscriminate increases in prices by heartless traders because of the GST.
I have, through the years,
been writing to The Star about
the deleterious effects of the
unfettered influx of foreign
workers into Malaysia, as besides taking away much needed jobs and business opportunities from the rakyat, these lowly-paid workers will cause our environment to degrade as they use up a significant part of our natural resources and potable water.
I have also raised the issue that in other Asean countries and in nations across the Asia-Pacific region, almost NO other country will allow foreigners to take part in the retail sector of businesses like the distribution of vegetables, etc, grocery shops, tailors, laundry shops, and even food retail shops.
Why is Malaysia so lax in such a situation? Why do our local councils allow them a free hand in the retail sector of businesses?
If this condition, as expressed by the writer in his short appeal, is not properly addressed and soon, I am not sure if the rakyat can remain quiet.
Are our leaders deaf to our sufferings?
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