EATERIES in Malaysia are dominated by foreign cooks especially those from India, Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran said.

Since 2014, there are 321,205 foreigners working as cooks in Malaysia, he said. 

Out of that number, 137,810 are from India, 56,073 from Thailand and 49,529 from Nepal. 

“The job of cooks in this country is monopolised by foreign workers especially those from India,” Kulasegaran said in a parliamentary written reply. 

The DAP lawmaker pointed out that only 68,387 Malaysians were trained as cooks and chefs.

Kulasegaran added that the government was committed to increasing the number of local cooks and chefs under the 3P programme (Program Penempatan Pekerja). 

“The government is committed for roles like cooks to be filled by locals through the workers placement programme implemented by JobsMalaysia,” he said referring to the ministry’s official job site. 

Kulasegaran, who is also Ipoh Barat MP, was reported to have said that all restaurants would be required to hire only local cooks from January 1.

The announcement drew the ire of the Indian Restaurant Operators Association and the Indian Muslim Restaurant Operators Association.

Other restaurant operators also reacted with shock, saying the ruling will drive up the cost of business and is difficult to comply due to the locals’ lack of knowledge and experience in some areas, and their demand for higher wages.

However, Kulasegaran backtracked and said the announcement on local cooks for restaurants is only a proposal and still requires discussion with the various stakeholders. – August 7, 2018.