LETTER | Covid-19 pandemic exposes a fundamental flaw

LETTER | As the coronavirus Covid-19 continues to hang on nations like a precarious, threatening albatross, we can also take cognisance of a fundamental flaw in Malaysia that is being exposed.

Undocumented migrant workers, exploiting middlemen and a rent-seeking culture - all of these will ruin the country's economy and social fabric as the Covid-19 rages on.

The millions of undocumented migrant workers did not steal onto our shores in the stillness of the night. Neither did they parachute into the country through covert enemy operatives.

The presence of these growing numbers of undocumented foreign workers is owing to the economic framework in the country that breeds the agents, middleman and rent-seeking opportunists.

But instead of gunning down the convenient agent cover, the exploiting middleman and catheterising the cancerous rent-seeking culture, we only continue to read news about immigration crackdowns on migrant workers.

The reports on these catches of raids here and there that still cannot add up to the claimed millions of undocumented migrant workers is a laughing shame.

Not only are undocumented migrant workers the scourge of our economic woes but the lack of a political will to wipe out the middleman and rent-seekers will ultimately ruin the country's economic and social resilience needed to combat pandemics like Covid-19.

The story of our middleman and rent-seeking practices add to the way we have cultivated the foreign workers hiring woes.

For as long as middlemen are nurtured silently to bully the locals - from farmers, and fishermen to consumers, a national food security crisis is a forgone eventuality.

For as long as rent-seeking is a baptised way of doing business in Malaysia, we will never be able to withstand any global financial crunches.

The growing problem of undocumented workers

For as long as we continue to make money through slavery agents, the country can only be paralysed with the growing problem of undocumented workers.

At some point, we have to face up and ask who really are the traitors of this nation.

Are they not the agents authorised to recruit foreign workers?

Are they not the employers who, through their exploitative business strategies, force create undocumented workers?

Are they not the employers who harbour undocumented workers in order to pay less and profiteer?

Are they not the middlemen spread all over the country, cutting across all industries and who make the hardworking farmers, fishermen and consumers be at their exploitative mercy all the time?

Are they not the rent-seekers - from businessmen to politicians who are willing to sell this nation for even a few shillings of profit?

Perhaps we have to be real honest about our political party funding frameworks too, as these may be the very culprits underlying the problems of recruiting agents, middlemen and the rent-seeking culture.

The dangerously precarious future posed by Covid-19 demands immediate answers if we want to save Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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