Illegal Immigration in Malaysia

By Kishen Kumar A/L Chandrasekaran
2013-121732
Topic: Ministry of Home Affairs

Illegal immigration is a big issue for Malaysia and has caused many devastating problems for the country as a whole. It has caused there to be less jobs available for the citizens and the immigrants have brought infectious diseases with them, such as tuberculosis and leprosy. This problem not only impacts the country, but it also impacts the people who are migrating over because the government officials have had to take violent measures to control the problem. In Sabah, recent statistics from a 2010 census of Sabah’s population, which showed an extraordinary 390-per cent increase from 636, 431 citizens in 1970 to 3,120,040 citizens in 2010 ― more than double the national population growth of just 164 per cent. Of the 3.12 million Sabahans today, reports have estimated that 27 per cent are foreigners. There are even some cases that foreigners are fighting to get a place in market and 'pasar malam'. Action should be taken before the problem get even more worse.

Figure 1: A pie chart shows Sabah racial breakdown statistics which was taken in 2010 

One of the step to solve the issue is enhance the security of borders. Although the progress has been made, the border near Sabah and Sarawak where most illegal immigrants cross is still not secure. It is inexcusable that the resources and technology needed to stop the flow are not in place. All it takes is funding and commitment.


Besides that, we should have an effective visa program. One of the dirty legal secrets of illegal immigration is that as many as half of the illegals didn't sneak over the border. Instead, they came here legally with a visa and just didn't leave. That's actually pretty easy for people to do since, believe it or not, Malaysia doesn't have an effective system for telling whether visa holders leave the country. If you come here on a visa and choose not to leave when it expires, chances are that the government has no idea you're still here. So, with an effective visa system, we can reduce illegal immigrants.

Furthermore, there are should be a lot of operation to catch illegal immigrant who are hiding in the public places. Local authorities should work to together with local people to make these operations a great success.

Illegal immigrants who got caught during Ops Bersepadu

In a nutshell, it is time to push aside those in the political arena who wish to use immigration primarily as an election tool and do not seek or tolerate rational action. All the parties should work together to resolve this issue.


References:

1. http://www.moha.gov.my
2. http://www.bharian.com.my/articles/OperasitahanpendatangtanpaizinbabitkanATM_KPN/Article/
3. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/09/02/Illegals-play-hideandseek.aspx 
4. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/resolving-influx-of-illegal-immigrants -depends-on-who-is-heading-the-count