Hindraf 2.0: Foreign workers scheme comes at expense of poor Indians

Hindraf 2.0 wants Putrajaya to reconsider its decision to reintroduce the foreign workers replacement scheme, claiming that this would come at the expense of job opportunities for poor Indians.

This comes after the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI) yesterday lauded the government's plan and asked that the scheme be expanded to more sectors.

Hindraf 2.0 de facto leader P Uthayakumar said in a statement today that the request was "self-serving and at the expense of the B75 Indian poor's upward mobility."

'B75' refers to the bottom 75 percent in the Indian community in terms of household income.

"Not exploiting cheap labour and paying locals high salaries, especially the B75 Indian poor, should be the way forward," he said.

Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran had said the foreign workers' replacement scheme, which was suspended in 2017, will be reintroduced amid persistent complaints about labour shortage.

Under the scheme, companies can apply for a replacement once it is confirmed their old foreign staff have left the country, instead of having to start a new application.