PASIR GUDANG: Johor is not against the Federal government's decision to bring in another 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers if they do not create socio-economic problems.
Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said feedback from locals showed that they had expressed uneasiness with the presence of too many legal and illegal foreign workers in the country.
Khaled said Pasir Gudang was the best example with its large concentration of foreign workers due to the district's status as a manufacturing centre with hundreds of factories.
"They have created social issues in the district and we can learn what is happening in Singapore and we have to control it before it becomes a big problem, " he said after launching the Pasir Gudang Bicycle Club Association at Kampung Sungai Rinting here on Saturday.
Khaled said guidelines should be imposed on employers and foreign workers, including having proper accommodation for foreign workers who must have minimum qualification.
"Locals have to pass at least SPM in order to work in factories and foreign workers should also have a similar requirement before they are employed, " said Khaled.
He said employers should also provide hostels or dormitories for their foreign workers instead of renting houses with between 10 and 20 workers.
Khaled said if employers failed to fulfill the requirements, the authorities should not approve their application to hire foreign workers or to renew their work permits.
He said there were cases where foreign workers in Pasir Gudang were involved in fights and, if not controlled, which could turn ugly like the Little Indian riot in Singapore.
