SINGAPORE and KUALA LUMPUR: He sits on the curb, slowly picking away at his curry during the short lunch break in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Aziz has been working the construction site for three months, since he was banned from going to Singapore for a job. “It isn't too bad, but I had a really good job lined up there,” he says in working English, showing how hard he had studied to get a position in Singapore. But he was barred from going to the city-state because he is from Sarawak, in Eastern Malaysia. “I believe [the] policy is bad because good people can be good workers there,” he told Bikyamasr.com. His struggles continue as Singapore has pushed the age limit of natives from Sarawak and Sabah allowed to work in Singapore to 35-years-old. This means 25-year-old Aziz is forced to remain in Malaysia. Although he's found a decent job in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, he had hopes that a new life was to be found in Singapore. “Really thought I would be great for Singapore. I learned English and studied hard. I want to be a foreman,” he continued. The new ruling was imposed as an “administrative punishment" after a series of crimes and fights involving rowdy native Sabahans and Sarawakians in the republic. The Singapore government has set the new restrictions after a string of murders have been reportedly been carried out by Malaysians from Sabah and Sarawak. The new ruling has caused much difficulties to law-abiding Sabahan and Sarawakian native men, mainly unskilled and odd job workers to work on the island. Fresh workers below 35 were barred entry while those within that age group and already working there could not renew their work permits after they expired within two years. Gagasan Dayak Iban Bersatu Malaysia (GAIU) president Sai Malaka said although the ruling was not made official by the Singapore Manpower Ministry (MOM), all work permit applications by native men from Sabah and Sarawak below the age of 35 were automatically rejected. “I feel this measure is very extreme and discriminatory towards native Sabahans and Sarawakians," he said. Sai added that Sarawakians and Sabahans men were skilled workers especially in the oil and gas sector, fabrication and factory maintenance. He said since the ruling took effect, many Sarawakians and Sabahans who were unable to work in Singapore had opted to work in factories in Johor, particularly around Pasir Gudang. “Luckily the government is developing the oil and gas hub in Pengerang near here. The project is now providing the much needed work for these unemployed workers," he told The Star newspaper on Sunday. For workers like Aziz, the new restrictions are a turn toward what they describe as outright discrimination. “It is not fair that all us young men are told no because of one or two bad people,” he added.
