Show humanity always

Show humanity always

MALAYSIA continues to draw in foreign workers, both legal and illegal, like a magnet. Foreign workers fill the gap between our country’s demand for labour resources and our limited domestic supply.

This is not because we have a small population but because our locals are selective and choosy in the type of job they want. This has resulted in the nomenclature of certain jobs being denoted as the 3Ds – dirty, dangerous and difficult.

Foreign workers are willing to toil in the harsh conditions of the construction and plantation sectors which, incidentally, are crucial sectors of our economy. The recent outcry from employers against the freeze on recruitment of foreign workers reflects in no small way the gravity of the situation.

As Malaysians we must consider ourselves to be a privileged lot. This is a consequence of and reflection on the robustness of economic policies put in place by the Government. We are the envy of other less developed economies in the region.

It is in this context that we should examine our interactions with fellow humans who have entered our country with only the objective of securing employment to feed their families back home.

They are not “stealing” our jobs as they are employed in sectors that Malaysians have shunned, given the harsh working conditions. Have we become so selfish that we cannot share some of the opportunities that abound in our country?

As our country develops, we inevitably suffer from the dreaded infliction of being unable to cope with stress given the hectic environment. We tend in some circumstances to explode.

The recent video clip of an enforcement officer physically abusing an immigrant during a raid is not only shameful but also totally saddening. Is this what economic progress has brought to Malaysians?

Is this just a one-off incident or are there many other similar cases which have gone unreported?

The continued raids on illegal foreign workers when seen through their eyes are both inhumane and unjust. To then suffer the humiliation of being physically abused is demeaning. This is food for thought on the true situation in our detention and transit camps for illegal foreign workers.

Such inability to cope with the stress of the job as an enforcement officer and the use of physical violence should not be tolerated at any level, more so when foreigners are involved. We have a right to deport but not to humiliate.

What has happened to our religious and cultural values? There should be zero tolerance for the thuggish behaviour that was captured on camera.

Action should be taken speedily and the officer concerned should be made an example of what Malaysian society will not condone. Any inaction or delay on the part of the superiors in castigating such behaviour will only reflect the state of their own mental and religious decay.

Enforcement agency officers and all civil servants should be continuously reminded that they have been blessed in having a job in their own country at the expense of taxpayers!

Show humanity to those who may not be so blessed, be they fellow Malaysians or foreigners who do our 3D jobs.

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