'It will be not only the mamak shops that should be shut down. The barbers, textile shops, garland-makers and scrap steel workers which depend on slave imported labour should go.'
Imran Shah: All restaurant/stall owners, including the people who own foreign franchises, consistently use the excuse that "Malaysians are not keen". But actually they prefer these foreign workers because they pay non-equitable wages for the very long hours these workers put in. No rest days. Very basic, frugal and disgusting accommodation is provided.
Malaysians know the laws of the country and will not take the abuses of these employers. Who is checking on the number of hours these foreign workers have to put in a week? Who is checking the conditions of the accommodation provided? Who is checking on the harassment and threats these migrant workers have to put up with?
We see stalls and restaurants mushrooming everywhere that engage foreign workers as their first choice. Some can draw little clientele, but can still make enough money to sustain themselves. Do we need so many stalls and restaurants all over the place?
All In the Game: It will be not only the mamak shops that should be shut down if they do not localise their workforce. The barbers, textile shops, garland-makers, scrap steel workers and a host of other businesses which depend on slave imported labour should go.
Come on, if your business is not profitable with decent wage levels, why be in it at all? The Indian trade associations - without looking at upgrading salary levels and working conditions - are craving for more imported labour.
India will not be able to feed you slave labour anymore, because wages are going up there, too. Do not blame the government. If you do not change your mindset, better balik kampung .
Azizi Khan: RM800 a month plus food and lodging - considering the sheer amount of money that mamak stalls turn over, this is a pittance. If you look at the cost of living, no wonder no local wants to work there.
At least pay RM1,500 plus food and lodging. I'm sure people will come. Businessmen in Malaysia, no matter what industry, are known to be penny-wise and pound foolish. They often indulge in unsafe practices that put their employees in danger. Just consider the number of Indonesian employees falling off buildings because their employers refuse to provide safety harnesses.
Ida Bakar: Goodness me! The vitriol against mamaks and their restaurants from readers' comments beggars belief! Mamaks are Malaysians and their restaurants are a Malaysian institution.
When Malay-ultras spew their bile, these same people claimed the moral high ground but they seemed fit to use the phrase 'good riddance' to the mamaks . This us-versus-them attitude ensured that Malaysians remain divided.
Dr Jacob George: Some comments here are dwelling on utter falsehood. Malaysia's services sector is one sector that has repeatedly exploited foreign workers to the hilt. As a result, workers from source countries refuse to come here. Their governments are angry with us.
RM800 a month plus food and lodging? Really? What about the deductions for levy totalling over RM1,960, medical and other 'out-of-pocket payments'?
The workers come here after paying huge commissions to employers, brokers, politicians, agents, various tiers on both sides of the border and their approval bodies - monies they borrowed or gotten from selling family land, tractors, and even in some cases, the forced marriage of family members to third parties and old men to raise funds!
It's exploitation and these fellas have the audacity to make us feel they are the victims? My foot! Kudos to the home minister who, knowing all of this, has rightly frozen the services sector.
SRR: Personally, I wouldn't mind it at all if there were no more mamak stalls. No big deal, actually. Mamak food stalls serve one of the most unhealthy foods in Malaysia. I'd rather if we had healthy food alternatives and healthy lifestyle as a part and parcel of our nation's social landscape to be proud of, instead of mamak food, of all things.
This is just my personal preference and opinion. Nobody needs to be like me if they don't want to.
Joanna Chee: Mamak restaurants not all are not hygienic in their handling of food. They buy the cheapest chicken and meats that are already rotting and discarded, and cook them in their shops daily. I have personally seen them negotiate real rock-bottom prices for stale or rotting meats, and then actually cook it.
Pemerhati: The local restaurant owners pay low wages and have lousy working conditions. So only the most desperate foreigners from poor countries are prepared to work for them.
If the government remains firm and does not allow any foreigners to work in this sector, you will find that the smarter restaurant owners will improve the working conditions and increase the salaries to a level that would attract the locals.
If you go to developed countries where the wages are very high, you will find that a lot of restaurants are self-serviced or employ very few waiters to serve a very large number of people.
Soapbox: I seldom support our government. I perceive them as inefficient and corrupt, and unable to implement policies through our corrupt civil services.
But in this instance, I agree that foreign labour needs to be curbed. Perhaps we can still allow in foreign cooks as a temporary measure. Mamak stalls have to start thinking of raising their prices of their goods to sustain the salaries of local workers.
Of course, business will drop as a result of price increases, but in the long-term, a different playing field will emerge. People will eat less frivolous food, which will be helpful to our health.
Mamak restaurants also won't need as many workers, so they can pay higher wages for shorter hours, and better work conditions. There also won't be any more need for providing accommodation.
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