RAISING wages in Johor will not prevent workers from the state from going to Singapore, P. Ramasamy said today.

Besides the higher salary in the neighbouring country, there are other factors that draw workers to the city-state, the Penang DAP deputy chairman and deputy chief minister II said.

Ramasamy was commenting on Johor DAP leader Liew Chin Tong’s comment that higher wages in the state will prevent Malaysians from going to Singapore to look for jobs.

“I am sure if they had been paid two-thirds the salary in Johor, they would still have preferred to work in Singapore,” Ramasamy said in a statement today.

“Liew misses the point that it is not salary alone but there are other variables that need to be taken into account as to why workers prefer Singapore, if they can help it.

“With savings from the hard-earned money (in Singapore), they have bought houses and invested in properties because of the low cost of living and depressed property market (in Johor).

“In a sense, they enjoy the benefits of the two worlds,” he said.

“The daily journey to Singapore is a nightmare, but it is still worth it, considering the pittance they earn in Johor plus the demeaning aspects of racial and religious politics.”

Ramasamy added that while wages are high in Singapore compared to in Malaysia, the city-state is not a haven for the working class where repression of workers is much more pronounced.

“Wages might be high in Singapore in comparison with Malaysia, but such a fact might not make sense to the notion of working class freedom in Singapore.

“It is not that workers have much freedom in Malaysia or Johor, but the situation is relatively better than that in Singapore.

Ramasamy also pointed out that wages cannot simply be increased without considering the skills of the workers.

Yesterday, Liew said a two-third of Singapore’s wages is needed to keep Johor talent in state.

The Perling assemblyman said it is imperative for everyone to recognise that the conditions for workers in Johor are not conducive to both the economy and the well-being of its people. – May 2, 2022.