Zahidi Zainul Abidin (BN-Padang Besar) said contractors and investors, particularly those in sectors classified as 3D (dangerous, dirty and difficult), had difficulty recruiting workers due to the freeze.

“We criticise and joke about not being able to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers when many contractors and investors are complaining about the difficulty in obtaining workers following the freeze.

“Those requesting the workers are Malaysians, our people, who are voters as well.

“What if a contractor secures a project and needs 100 local workers? Where is he going to find them?” he said during the debate on the motion of thanks for the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat.

He said the relevant ministry should take the initiative and provide a platform to make it easy for the contractors to recruit the local workers.

“The vacancies should be filled by local workers. Many youths in the villages are unemployed despite the government equipping them with skills through training.

“Why not create a system that enables a contractor or investor who needs local workers to go to one centre and recruit these workers easily?”

Zahidi said billions of ringgit were sent home by migrant workers and this was detrimental to the country’s economy.

Last Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government decided not to bring in any new foreign workers, except maids, with immediate effect.

He said employers who required foreign workers must hire those who were already in the country, including those whose work permits had expired.

– BERNAMA