When will we ever learn our lesson? The many incidents of Malaysians abusing foreign workers will have a long-term negative effect on the reputation of our country. Yet employers and recruiting agencies and sometimes even the authorities continue to pay scant attention to the precipitate consequences.

Employers ill treat maids and dupe foreign workers while recruitment agencies in cohorts with various parties cheat these innocent people. Workers are wrongly charged and sometimes punished while recalcitrant employers and agencies get away scot free.

It is about time that we put an abrupt stop to all these disgraceful abuses. We must realise that foreign workers are not a commodity but humans just like us Malaysians. They could be fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. Driven by hardship, they make their journey here after pawning their last bundle of heritage and fortune back home.

They are here to do the meanest tasks and to labour under extreme circumstances merely to put food on the table for their loved ones back home.

Let us be honest. Why do Malaysians harbour illegals? The reasons are obvious. Because we pay less and profited at these workers' expense. Because we can abuse them physically and inflict emotional scars and yet be able to get away with it. And because we can get away with providing them with only the barest minimum of amenities at the workplace.

And when the law gets tough, we switch to bringing in legal workers. But the way we treat these legal workers is equally shameful. It surely reflects the rot in our values. It is a disgrace that the image and reputation of the country continues to suffer despite so many complaints and instances of foreign worker abuse.

It is time that we acted with urgency before our national reputation continues to slide further down the scale. Enforcement must become extremely effective. Whoever is responsible must be held accountable. Slip-ups and excuses should be given a zero-tolerance by the leaders.

Punish and publicly shame employers and businessmen who exploit, cheat, and abuse these vulnerable workers. Likewise, those who fail to prosecute the guilty should also not be spared.

The relevant ministry should step up its monitoring of all work sites to ensure that the well-being, rights and safety of foreign workers are in keeping with best practice and acceptable standards.