The Day When Foreigners Took Over KL

A commentary by Soon Li Wei KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 (Bernama) -- It is a familiar sight during long public holidays. The same happened during the recent Hari Raya (Eid Fitri) weekend where the locals deserted the streets of Kuala Lumpur, but only to be taken over by foreign workers. Malaysians are all aware of the influx of foreign workers in the country. The Indonesians, Bangladeshis, Nepalese, Rohingyas in big numbers and other nationalities in smaller numbers are an ubiquitous sight in the country. However, their dominant presence and ways are clearly felt during the long breaks when they congregate in the city. These foreign workers come from as far as the east coast states and even Johor in the south. They descend in Kuala Lumpur, many dressed in their best, to meet up with the fellow countrymen and exchange news of the happenings back home. They also go sight seeing at the tourist attractions in the city. Among the popular locations frequented by them are the Central Market, Kota Raya Petaling Street and the Jamek Mosque. Central Market and Kota Raya are shopping malls located in the city while Petaling Street is a street lined with stalls and shopping arcades popular with locals and tourists for cheap products. They deserve a break after working hard for a living. However, their civic consciousness falls short of expectations and many of their ways annoy the locals. Queue jumping at the counters and bus stops, their poor regard to road safety also endanger others, their loud chatter and above all poor hygiene are among the woes that the locals have to put up when these foreigners crowd the town. FOREIGNERS VS CLEANLINESS For years, foreigners have been linked to the trash piling up in the city during public holidays and weekends. According to Hazilah Gumri, the director of SWCorp, the city's cleaning concessionaire, up to June 12 hotspots have been identified as the favourite littering spot for these foreigners. "During public holidays, areas like Bukit Bintang, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Chow Kit and Pasar Seni (Central Market) will be strewn with trash," she said. Tourist attractions are not the only areas where they litter indiscriminately, bus and train stations share the same fate too. If that is not enough, locals are further irked by their habit of spitting in the public. They even spit on the public transportation, discard food on the seats and vandalise facilities as well. On the second day of Hari Raya, I went to the spots frequented by these foreigners namely Lebuh Ampang, the Jamek Mosque area and Central Market to check out their habits there. Cans and bottles, cigarette butts and trash littered the ground despite sufficient trash bins provided. There are also signs of spitting here and there , they have certainly blighted the city. However, speaking of cleanliness this lack of civic awareness is not only limited to foreigners as even some of the locals don't fare any better. Meanwhile, no Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officers were seen except for a handful of cleaners at work. According to one of the cleaners, who declined to be named, only 10 of them were stationed around Central Market as most of them were still on Raya leave. THE INFLUX OF FOREIGN WORKERS IN MALAYSIA The third world mentality brought to the country by these foreign workers is something unavoidable. Malaysia remains as the favourite destination for unskilled workers from Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Laos and Vietnam. Human Resource Minister Richard Riot Jaem was reported saying that there were an estimated 6.7 million foreign workers in Malaysia as of December 2014. He said only 2.1 million of them had valid permits and were registered with the Immigration Department. The failure to contain the inflow of foreigners into the country is due to the high demand for manpower in various sectors. The problem is compounded by the fact the locals are not only choosy about employment but also prefer to lead a laid back life. Having said that, if there is no control in the influx of foreign workers they will easily outnumber the locals within a decade. EDUCATING THE FOREIGNERS In avoiding the third class mentality from prevailing, they ought to be taught on civic consciousness and the local norms so that they too can help contribute towards a developed nation in every sense. Just like how they could master fast enough the local languages and skills needed in various sectors, they could learn the dos and don'ts in the host country. Civic education can be boosted through legal enforcement such as heavier compounds and prison sentence as carried out in Singapore and Japan. -- BERNAMA