The Sarawak government is in discussions with the federal Ministry of Human Resources on how the state can obtain supply of workers from an alternative source, Bangladesh, to sustain the oil palm industry.
State Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing said Sarawak had to continue relying on foreign workers but recruitment from its traditional source, Indonesia, was getting more difficult due to the industry’s robust development in the republic.
“The plantation sector is still faced with tight labour supply and because of competition from higher-paying sectors, the locals tend to shun plantation jobs,” he said in his winding-up speech for his ministry at the state assembly sitting, here, today.
James Masing set himself up as a Dayak Defender only last week, demanding the interests of East Malaysia and non-Muslims and non-Malays be given equal status.
But this week he is back in business for his BN masters, organising for the importation of tens of thousands more Muslim workers into Sarawak to work on oil palm plantations.
Masing wants to double the land under plantations from 1 million to 2 million hectares. This means taking Dayak NCR land. He claims this will make NCR landowners rich and happy.
But it hasn’t so far has it? Because, it is not the local people who make the profits and it is not even the local people who get the miserable jobs working the plantations. Only BN Bigwigs get rich.
There is a secondary plan. These immigrants will stay in Sarawak, be given voting rights and do what BN tell them. Meanwhile, the Dayak can continue to ask for voter registration in vain!
It has already happened in Sabah. Does Mr Masing really think we can’t see through his play-acting as Dayak Defender?