Malaysia will not be affected if the Myanmar government were to block its citizens from coming to work in the country, said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainudin.

He said if Myanmar were to implement the ban, it would not have an impact on the country’s manufacturing sector as Myanmar is not a major source of foreign labour for Malaysia.

“Malaysia's main source of labour comes from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Cambodia,” he told reporters after closing the Koperasi Bela Rakyat Malaysia (Kobera) convention at Bukit Merah Laketown Resort in Bagan Serai today.

On Monday, the Myanmar Ministry of Immigration announced that licenses would no longer be issued to its citizens seeking employment in Malaysia.

Yesterday, Human Resources Minister Richard Riot Jaem said the ministry had not received any official notification from the Myanmar government prohibiting its citizens from working in Malaysia.

In another development, Hamzah, who is also Larut Member of Parliament, urged cooperatives in the country to fully utilise online business to expand their marketing network.

“Cooperative members should also be trained to be internet savvy to enable them to market their products.

“Some cooperatives do not have any product, yet they are able to establish online business to create products,” he said.

On Kobera, Hamzah said currently there are 300 cooperatives nationwide which had been operating since 2008, but only 151 remained active.

- Bernama