The Foreign Worker Dilemma in Malaysia Foreign workers cant live with them, cant live without them.

. At least thats what quite a lot of Malaysians I know feel about them. Deputy Human Resources Minister, Senator Maznah Mazlan said that there are 1.403 million foreigners here holding the Temporary Employment Visit Pass, which accounts for 11.2% of Malaysias total workforce. Thats actually quite a lot of foreigners for a country with a 2.7% unemployment rate as of last year. But its no use denying the fact that we need them. The fact that we still dont have minimum wage means that there are just too many jobs out there that pay too little (from the perspective of Malaysians) and are considered not worth the trouble by Malaysians. As our cost of living continues to rise against stagnating wages, even fresh graduates earning around RM2,000 will sometimes find it hard to keep things afloat living in Kuala Lumpur, let alone having to survive on a construction workers wages. And even now we can see foreign workers in supermarkets and restaurants, jobs that are considered comfortable and not heavy, but more and more locals are turning away from them simply because in the current economic climate the pay is nowhere near good enough. On the one hand its a shame that we prefer being unemployed rather than at least earning something, even if it means working a hard job with not very good pay. But on the other hand its also understandable why wed prefer to hold out and keep looking for something better, considering the economic realities that we have to face in our daily lives. The side effect of being dependent on foreign workers is that it puts a strain on a lot of things public amenities and services especially. They also compete with the poor for low cost accommodation, and the congested living conditions have also contributed to societal and environmental problems. But blaming things on them will not solve anything. The fact of the matter is, these are men and women trying to make an honest living in a foreign country where their presence is not exactly welcomed with open arms. They had to leave their family behind, live in sometimes abominable and unacceptable conditions, and push themselves to the limit to work as many hours as possible in order to send as much money as they can home to their families. Try doing that and see if you wont find yourself in similar social problems should you be in their exact same shoes. Its easy to blame the other when youre comfortably o n the other side of the fence, but not so easy when you really look and try to empathise with them. Trying to combat these problems will definitely cost money, and if were being honest with ourselves, its just like dousing a raging fire its unlikely that we can totally put a stop to it. The only way we can avoid these problems is by not having them here or not being too dependent on foreign workforce. Paying the 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and difficult) better wages to attract locals to do it is a start. A good minimum wage is a start too. Of course companies employing foreign workers will moan that this is not good business, but that is why we vote and have a government to think about how best to solve this dilemma, because whats a government here for if not to take care of its people? - by Aidil Rus

The Power Is Yours Imagine this: its a hot and sunny morning, little children are running around barefoot on lush carpets of grass, ladies are sitting on park benches licking vanilla ice cream, and you are lying on your front sunbathing and just soaking in the scenery. Suddenly, you get an urge to stand up, take off your shirt, and just plunge into the clear blue river laid out right in front of you. And you swim. You swim and never look back. Slowly, the camera pulls out and reveals a signboard saying: Klang River. Unbelievable? Of course it is. Its the Klang River for heavens sake! Its the colour of Teh Tarik! But wouldnt that be great? Wouldnt it be great if we could just jump into the Klang River and swim and pretend to be a mermaid? Wouldnt it be cool if we could just drive down from KL to Port Dickson and take a walk on the warm, sandy beach? Maybe take a dip in the sea without reemerging as a deformed mutant? But before we lash out at every Tom, Dick, and Harry, its best to look inwards. Have we done our part in enhancing our environment? Do we recycle? Do we abstain from littering? Take a look at Singapore. The streets are spotless, their service industry is chock full of warm and friendly people, and there is a genuine sense of security, so much so that one can take a walk in a park alone after dark without fear. Something every Malaysian knows never to do in KL. In the end, it boils down to the Singaporean mindset. That, and of course, the now legendary fining system. But do we Malaysians actually give a hoot about fines? I am not saying Singapore is all that great, neither am I berating this country. But the fact remains that Singapore has developed so quickly its astounding. We are, however, catching up. In the green department, nature friendly efforts have already met with success. In 2012, 31,898 trees were successfully planted in and around KL and the Klang Valley. The River of Life project which aims to convert the Klang River into a recreational park is in its early phase. And last but not least, a heritage trail of iconic infrastructures targeted to attract tourists is almost complete. In the end, however, it still boils down to us to make a difference. The change has to start within. We have to change our mindset. And just what is our mindset? Well, just take a drive out on a Monday morning to any part of KL or the Klang Valley and look around. Nobody queues up, or obeys the traffic lights, or yellow boxes, or emergency lanes, or any signboard for that matter. Its every man for himself. All it takes is for one person to start and the rest will follow; be it for bad or for good. So go on and make a difference people. And maybe, just maybe that dream of swimming in the Klang River may not be a fantasy after all. The power is yours.

Dual Income In the current economic state we are living in, it seems apt to make as much money as we can, while we can, in as many possible ways as we can. The reason being that living aint cheap. Here is a general outlook on our cost of living as of 2013: The average rate for a rented apartment in the Klang Valley costs between RM800 RM1000 per month depending on location. Car loan repayments are somewhere between RM600 to RM1000 a month, while monthly fuel expenditure is RM 250 300 a month; exlcuding tolls. Food tallies up to about RM800, if you eat out everyday three times a day, averaging at RM10 per meal. Add other costs like cigarettes, entertainment, internet and telephone bills and all of that rounds off to about RM3000 RM3500 a month. The average pay for a fresh graduate falls somewhere between RM1,500 RM2,000 so clearly some amendments have to be made. Instead of renting a unit you may opt to rent a room which isnt that cheap either, or you could just live with your parents until you have enough money to stand on your OWN two feet. This living with parents routine usually stops when you have found a partner, i.e a husband or wife. When that happens, it seems a bit uncool to live with parents or in-laws, but it still is a viable option. Thats alright though, because nowadays, both bride and groom are required to work, which means the burden can be shared between two people. They can go halves on rent, loans, expenses, etc. That is until you have your first child. Sure you can still split everything down the line, but is it still a 5050 deal when it comes to taking care of your child? As a parent you will learn that the most important part of a childs life is between the ages of 0 to 5, and that breastfeeding is only limited to females. But with the current trend of dual income families, more and more, children are not spending nearly enough time with their mothers. Generally, babies will spend their first three months with their mothers and spend the remainder of their childhood in a nursery or living with a maid. The latter, for better or for worse, has produced a wave of multilingual Cambodian/Indonesian speaking Malaysian infants. So whats left to do? Unfortunately, it seems that the best option for a Mom is to stay at home. It is without a shadow of a doubt a very huge sacrifice for women. After spending thousands of ringgit on education, is all that is left their ability to raise children and do top notch housework. Is it? Fortunately, living in the high cost super fast world of today does have its perks. Now there are other options for women even men for that matter. Why not work from home? Some companies offer part time jobs, especially for women, as they recognise how important it is for a child to be around their mum. But then again do mums really need to work? More so if their husband or partner is able to obtain a respectable amount to sustain a comfortable life? Some feel that they do and some feel that they dont. That really is entirely up to you. Whatever your choice may be, just make sure that it is for the best interest of the kids. They are, after all, the future. HARIMAU MALAYA