THE statement by Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam that doubling the levy on foreign workers will discourage their employment and will result in increased salaries for the locals is immature.
I have owned a restaurant for more than 20 years and during this period I have hired both Malaysian and Indonesian staff. The working conditions are the same for both nationalities and it does not matter what position they are in - manager, kitchen staff or waiters.
When we first opened for business, we hired locals. In the beginning, there were not much of a problem but when business began to pick up, my cook began to talk about leaving. It is her way of wanting to renegotiate her pay.
I put up with the “blackmailing” by ignoring it, but by the third time, I paid her her salary and showed her the door. That brought a temporary end to such threats from the others when they realised that I was not going to be held to ransom.
Then, with the influx of Indonesians, we hired them to work alongside with the locals. However, the Indonesians were hard working and had better attitude towards work.
But, when the Government began to make it harder to hire Indonesians, we had no choice but to look to local labour again. It was the mid-1990s boom and we needed the staff.
We found the locals arriving late for work and leaving early – sometimes before even the close of business, leaving the clean-up to be done by the foreign workers.
The locals would come to work unkempt and they sat around smoking cigarettes despite the “no smoking” sign in the restaurant.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian workers would ensure business goes on in the restaurant.
The locals refused to learn anything new because they thought they knew better. They were not happy at being told what to do by a woman - even if she was the manager.
They showed their displeasure by making the food inedible - adding too much salt or chilli.
Local staff are simply unreliable. Perhaps what is most disturbing is their health. The Indonesian workers have to pass a medical examination before they get a work visa. Locals do not.
Just to make sure, we would ask all new foreign workers to go for another medical test before they commenced work at the restaurant. However, this backfired. If he or she failed the test and cannot be hired, we still had to pay the bill which came to a few hundred ringgit.
To be fair, not every local we have hired was a nightmare. However, the dreadful ones we have hired far outnumbered the good ones.
If Dr Subramaniam thinks that raising the levy on foreign workers will lead to more locals being hired in the restauraunt business, he is sorely mistaken. They have poor work ethics and are not worth the trouble. If I can’t afford the levy, I would rather close my business than to be held ransom by local workers.
RESTAURANT OWNER,Petaling Jaya.
I have owned a restaurant for more than 20 years and during this period I have hired both Malaysian and Indonesian staff. The working conditions are the same for both nationalities and it does not matter what position they are in - manager, kitchen staff or waiters.
When we first opened for business, we hired locals. In the beginning, there were not much of a problem but when business began to pick up, my cook began to talk about leaving. It is her way of wanting to renegotiate her pay.
I put up with the “blackmailing” by ignoring it, but by the third time, I paid her her salary and showed her the door. That brought a temporary end to such threats from the others when they realised that I was not going to be held to ransom.
Then, with the influx of Indonesians, we hired them to work alongside with the locals. However, the Indonesians were hard working and had better attitude towards work.
But, when the Government began to make it harder to hire Indonesians, we had no choice but to look to local labour again. It was the mid-1990s boom and we needed the staff.
We found the locals arriving late for work and leaving early – sometimes before even the close of business, leaving the clean-up to be done by the foreign workers.
The locals would come to work unkempt and they sat around smoking cigarettes despite the “no smoking” sign in the restaurant.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian workers would ensure business goes on in the restaurant.
The locals refused to learn anything new because they thought they knew better. They were not happy at being told what to do by a woman - even if she was the manager.
They showed their displeasure by making the food inedible - adding too much salt or chilli.
Local staff are simply unreliable. Perhaps what is most disturbing is their health. The Indonesian workers have to pass a medical examination before they get a work visa. Locals do not.
Just to make sure, we would ask all new foreign workers to go for another medical test before they commenced work at the restaurant. However, this backfired. If he or she failed the test and cannot be hired, we still had to pay the bill which came to a few hundred ringgit.
To be fair, not every local we have hired was a nightmare. However, the dreadful ones we have hired far outnumbered the good ones.
If Dr Subramaniam thinks that raising the levy on foreign workers will lead to more locals being hired in the restauraunt business, he is sorely mistaken. They have poor work ethics and are not worth the trouble. If I can’t afford the levy, I would rather close my business than to be held ransom by local workers.
RESTAURANT OWNER,Petaling Jaya.
From : The Star 17/03/2009
Sekapur Sirih
Dalam kekalutan Ekonomi yang "gawat" pelbagai kaedah dan cara dilakukan demi menyelamatkan ekonomi negara.Saya percaya "keratan akhbar" diatas ditujukan pada orang melayu yang lazimnya jika kita fahami dan amati kandungan dalam keratan tersebut.Aku bersetuju dengan keratan diatas,malah aku sendiri pernah merasai suasana seperti mana penulis diatas merasainya.Inilah realiti yang terjadi hari ini.
Melayu dan realiti Hari Ini
Saya bukan mahu mengutuk bangsaku sendiri.Secara terang kita lihat hari ini bangsaku jauh ketinggalan dari semua aspek.Adakah kerana "tongkat" diberikan menyebabkan kita terus tidur dan leka??Cuba kita lihat di kompleks-kompleks membeli belah,lihat di kiri kanan anda?sakit mata memandang bukan??melihat gelagat bangsa ku membuang masa di tempat-tempat seperti itu.Malah,penglibatan remaja melayu belasan tahun cukup menjengkelkan pemandangan mata.Mudah sungguh,minda dan pegangan mereka dijajah.Bila sebut masalah mengaitkan remaja atau muda-mudi Melayu, kita hanya mampu menggeleng kepala. Melayu menjuarai carta kes buang anak teramai, penagihan dadah,perceraian,lari dari rumah,salah laku jenayah dan serba serbi juara dalam aspek yang menjelikkan.Hari ini media melaporkan seorang gadis Melayu berusia 25 tahun dari Sungai Petani Kedah ditemui berlumuran darah di rumahnya kerana dibelasah oleh teman lelakinya.Tetapi apa yang lebih menjelikkan menurut akhbar talboid itu di muka depannya, gadis berkenaan belum lagi berkahwin tetapi memiliki dua orang anak berumur tiga bulan dan setahun! kalau tak kahwin macam mana boleh ada anak?Seolah-olah kes seperti ini yang melibatkan gejala zina seperti sudah lumrah dalam kehidupan muda-mudi Melayu, mereka semakin jauh dari agamanya. Mereka tidak merasa apa-apa dengan perkara dosa dan pahala.Inilah padahnya apabila agama semakin terpinggir daripada kehidupan sama ada dalam aspek perundangan, ekonomi dan sosial. Hanya Islam jalan penyelesaian kemelut yang melanda kehidupan orang Melayu pada hari ini. Kembalilah pada ajaran Islam sebenar! "Jangan Jadi Melayu,Jadi Orang Islam!"..itulah perkataan yang sering kali aku dengar bila kena "lecturer" ngan orang tua aku.Jika dikaji keturunan aku pun memang ternyata salasilah keluargaku berasal dari Jawa dan Acheh.Memang bingung dan pening bilamana kerap kali perkara diulang2 bila kena "lecturer"...bukankah aku ini melayu jugak,dan mereka juga tergolong dalam gelaran "melayu"??Kini bila usiaku bmencecah 24 tahun,baru aku mengerti istilah2 yang sering kali diungkapkan.Adakah "komodenan" menjadi punca??Jawapan ku mudah,kerana kita lalai dan "berasa" selesa....dan kekurangan hubungan kita dengan "TUHAN"..kita seolah-olah lupa nilai dan jati diri kita sendiri.Hakikat kehidupan akan datang bukan selamanya untuk kita "terus" tidur dan "Malas"....
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