AFTER being turned down for numerous jobs in his hometown of Bachok, Kelantan, Ahmad Shahril Hafizi turned to neighbouring Thailand to make a living as a fire-and-snake performer.
The 23-year-old, who now takes the bus to Sg Padi in Thailand three times a week for his shows, said he applied for several local jobs in his hometown but was not successful.
“Even to be a farmer, you may not get a chance. I applied before but failed to get approval.”
His friend, Khairul Amar Nakhaie, said even if one manages to find a job, the wages are simply too low for them to even dream of saving money.
After his contract work at a factory in Pengkalan Chepa was terminated, Khairul was jobless for five months before he worked at a relative’s restaurant in Rantau Panjang.
He finally decided to look for work in Thailand after friends shared their experience of being able to earn much more across the border.
“Even the Thai cooks who used to work in Kelantan have all gone back. In the past, they used to be desperate to work here,” said Khairul, who now works at a restaurant in Sg Golok, south Thailand.
The number of Kelantan youth seeking work opportunities outside the state has been increasing in recent years, with the latest figures released by the Election Commission during the 14th general election putting the number at 250,000 out of a population of 1.8 million.
Of that number, many are looking to neighbouring Thailand, thanks to a strong baht and work opportunities, said chairman of the Muslim Consumers’ Association of Malaysia Dr Mohd Farid Abdul Ghani.
While Farid said there are no official figures for the number of young Kelantanese working in Thailand, the numbers are substantial and rising, especially in the last five years when several large factories shut down their operation in the state.
“This is the reality. It’s hard for young Kelantanese to find work,” he told The Malaysian Insight.
“Many factories have closed down. We estimate that almost 80% have moved their operations and the remaining 20% are in Padang Tembak.”
Islamist party PAS has ruled Kelantan since 1990 and had only ever come close to losing the state in the 2004 general election when the party retained power by a single seat.
The state has also recorded the lowest GDP per capita in the country every year over the last decade.
The problem, said Farid, is that the state government is focusing too much on raising its religious profile and has done little to boost tourism, the economy or welfare of its youth.
“There’s no balance here.”
Farid said Kelantan has long been aware of the lack of jobs for youth but has ignored the problem.
“We have submitted reports but their answer is that Kelantanese like to cross the border (to work).
“But the fact is many of these youngsters don’t want to migrate. If they can, they want to work in Kelantan to take care of their parents, but because they have no choice, they will go.”
Blaming Pakatan
But many locals told The Malaysian Insight that their job woes are not the fault of the PAS administration alone.
Ahmad, the fire-and-snake performer, said even though he failed to land a job with local state government departments in the past, the lack of job prospects is because of Pakatan Harapan’s failure to fulfil its promises of boosting the national economy.
“We supported (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad because he said he wanted to heal the economy so that the younger generation like us will get jobs.
“Now that they’ve won, even the cost-of-living aid has been cut,” he said referring to the RM100 aid Putrajaya is giving to singles.
Ahmad said many of his friends missed the previous Barisan Nasional government under Najib Razak, whom he regarded as a “generous” leader.
He dismissed the dozens of charges levelled against Najib for corruption and embezzlement of state money from 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Apart from the dismal job market, many locals admitted that basic infrastructure, such as piped water at several areas in Kelantan, is still lacking.
A local resident at the fishing village of Tok Bali, Ros Fadli admitted that the state government has done little to develop the state or its economy in recent years.
“We are always facing water shortage, sometimes we have to go for three days without a bath,” said the 50-year-old housewife.
But she and her neighbours said they will still vote PAS.
“We’ve lived with it for so long, so we’re used to it,” said her neighbour Abdul Wahid.
“Even if we’re dissatisfied, we will always still choose PAS as the party that defends Islam,” he said. – March 13, 2019.
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Comments
Posted 5 years ago by Chee yee ng · Reply
Dont blame it on not receiving oil royalty.. its like the Ali baba business... mine oil and gas from the states territorial waters and expect commission. Although the state maybe entitled to royalties but that is not the solution!! Irrespective of whether the state receives oil royalty or not, the state government must have the aptitude to be more proactive and creative in generating income. Why? Look at NS, Melaka, Perak.. look at Penang.. Penang literally has NO Debts. Are they depending on oil royalty to be successful? Obviously this shows the Kelantan state government lacks the knowledge and capacity to run the state.. because of this, the rakyat I f Kelantan suffer due to lack of jobs, under-development, etc.
Dont blame the PH government. In fact and because of the generosity of the PH government the state will get a new lease in life after oil royalty is paid..
Look into you own backyard, look at the so called unity partner, BN, which ruled the country for 60 years and tell the world how Kelantan developed and became where it is today!!
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