PR

The Government has revoked the Malaysian permanent resident (PR) status of 16 suspected Jemaah Islamiah (JI) members. Read it here.

This was expected and the Government should have done it immediately as soon as knew that these people were involved in the Bali bombings.

The topic of permanent residency in Malaysia was always considered a sensitive issue. It is a well known fact that getting a PR here is tougher than in more developed countries like New Zealand, Australia or Singapore. I would like to correct myself, difficult for MOST professional people.

The question that a lot of people are asking now is how these people were able to obtain the coveted Malaysian PR status. These people who did not contribute anything to Malaysia’s economy or prestige but instead ruined the image of their adopted country. This when hundreds of highly qualified professionals were unable to obtain it. I know of one Indian doctor who used to work with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in their Kubang Kerian campus in Kelantan. He was refused the PR status even though he had stayed in Malaysia for nearly 10 years and had 2 children who were born here. All that time, his wife stayed at home as a housewife even though she was a qualified psychologist with a PhD. They have moved to Australia and are happily settled down there. He obtained the PR status within a year there.

The Malaysian Government’s spouse programme to enable eligible spouses of Malaysian citizens to secure employment here, was a step in the right direction. However, they still have to get their employment passes renewed every year. Even before that, they first have to get an employer willing to employ a foreigner, usually on contract. They also can't start a business even if they want to. In the end, most get fed up and leave the country. This has also contributed to the brain drain as many talented Malaysians left the country to follow their foreign spouses who were unable to obtain a Malaysian PR.

Did you know that Vijay Singh, the current World Golf No 1 has a Malaysian wife and had applied for a Malaysian PR…And was refused the status. Any comments?