“Traders in Ayer Kuning are now facing significant difficulties due to the freeze on foreign workers. Will this affect their support for the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in the upcoming Ayer Kuning By-Election on April 26? What is their response to the foreign worker quota freeze that is increasingly burdening them?”
Traders in the Ayer Kuning State Assembly (DUN) area are expected to reject the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in the upcoming by-election scheduled for April 26, due to several major issues they are facing, particularly the freeze on foreign workers and the current economic situation.
The foreign worker quota freeze announced by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution, and the Finance Minister, Steven Sim, has caused many entrepreneurs in the service sector, such as restaurant owners and scrap traders, to report significant losses. This freeze has forced them to deal with a shortage of labor, which in turn affects the operation of their businesses.
A local trader, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “I feel like a dog having to go back and forth to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kesuma to get special approval for foreign workers.” He added that the government’s decision to block the entry of foreign workers has had a significant impact on small and medium-sized businesses.
Meanwhile, a leader of Pemuda UMNO also reacted to this issue, stating that BN should take into account the dissatisfaction of voters with the unity government, which is seen as failing to fulfill its promises, particularly in ensuring the continuity of businesses. According to this leader, Malay voters, who make up the majority in Ayer Kuning, are seen as more likely to support a candidate who better understands their needs, especially in terms of religion and education, as the unity government has failed to meet their expectations in recent years.
“When we see how the government failed to meet its promises, and coupled with the worsening issue of foreign workers, it has sparked great dissatisfaction among traders here,” he said.
Although BN hopes to gain the support of Malay-Muslim voters by presenting Ustaz Yusri Bakir, a former teacher with an Islamic education background, as their candidate, non-Malay voters, particularly traders, are expected to reject the candidate. The Ayer Kuning DUN constituency has a voter composition of 58% Malay, 23% Chinese, and 14% Indian.
The recent statement by the Home Minister, Saifuddin Nasution, that the foreign worker freeze will continue until the country’s economic situation stabilizes, has further worsened the situation for traders who rely on foreign labor to run their operations.
As a result, several local traders have stated that they will continue to demand immediate solutions from the authorities, including requesting the government to reopen the possibility of controlled foreign worker recruitment and provide greater support to small businesses.
“If this issue is not resolved immediately, we as traders will not hesitate to reject the BN candidate, because it directly impacts our livelihoods,” added another trader operating in the Ayer Kuning area.
The upcoming Ayer Kuning By-Election on April 26 will be a critical test for the unity government and BN’s machinery, especially in winning back the support of both Malay and non-Malay voters in the area.