KUALA LUMPUR (March 11): The National Economic Action Council (NEAC) meeting scheduled for next month will address the implementation of a specialised mechanism to gradually reduce the number of migrant workers, aligning with the government's strategy to empower local and Bumiputera businesses, according to Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi said that the government is dedicated to decreasing the count of unskilled migrant workers, and the NEAC has been assigned the responsibility of devising a targeted mechanism to periodically reduce the presence of foreign workers in Malaysia.

"The 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13), set to be presented next year, will also focus on a more significant reduction in the number of foreign workers. I mention this now in Parliament to allow our industries to prepare for upcoming changes," Rafizi said in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) during the oral question-and-answer session in Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

Rafizi emphasised that the initiative to reduce dependence on migrant workers requires not only policy adjustments but also industry collaboration, citing previous opposition faced by the administration's attempt at similar reductions in reliance on foreign workers.

"If we persist with a population of between three million and 3.5 million documented or undocumented foreign workers, it will result in a group offering a lower cost structure. This situation will hinder our local traders' ability to compete, as foreign traders may offer significantly lower prices, attracting community interest in their products or services," added Rafizi.

Furthermore, Rafizi reiterated the government's intention to introduce the Anti-Rent Seeking Act, attributing the significant presence of migrant workers in businesses to locals leasing or licensing their premises.

"We observe a phenomenon where local traders prefer to receive between RM3,000 and RM4,000 a month from foreigners by allowing them to use their name and premises. Therefore, in addition to enhancing the economic structure and reducing the number of foreign workers, we must also tighten the law to make it illegal for locals to lease their premises to foreign nationals," Rafizi said.

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