and industry groups in the country are against any government decision to bring in African workers, citing social and cultural issues.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the proposal to allow workers from African nations to work in the country is just a suggestion and the government has not made any decision. According to a report in Nanyang Siang Pau today, Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said African workers might not be able to adapt to the local customs and practices, adding that the number of criminal cases involving people from African nations in Malaysia did not leave a good impression on potential employers.
Shamsuddin urged employers to embrace mechanisation and to train their workers to raise productivity without having to increase the number of workers.