HUNDREDS of Myanmar refugees who lost their jobs at the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market in Selayang have pleaded with the government to either allow them to resume working or send them to another country.

Several refugees told The Malaysian Insight they will not be able to survive much longer after weeks without an income.

Muhammad Saleem, who lost his job pushing vegetable carts in the Selayang market, said he could not pay the rent and care for his family of five.

Saleem, 29, said the government should reconsider the ban on foreign workers and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders from entering or working at the market.

“We respect the law here. We’re not asking much… just let us to work.

“I have no money to buy food and I am four months behind the rent.

“The owner has given till the end of this month to settle. If not, we have to leave,” Saleem said.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall banned foreigners and UNHCR cardholders from entering the wholesale market at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Only foreigners registered and working with supply companies were allowed to enter the market but they must be accompanied by a Malaysian employer.

City Hall said the ban was in line with the Wholesale Markets (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) 2002 by-laws that no foreigner could work there.

It also believes the move will revitalise the area surrounding the market and give it a clean new image.

Another Myanmar worker, Shafee Ullal, 39 who is a Rohingya, said this was his toughest of his 12 years in Malaysia.

He said he is unable to support his family and was forced to move because he could not afford the rent. He is now staying with a friend.

Shafee said aid groups did provide help but it is not enough, and he cannot get a job as business owners are not hiring foreigners.

“I have no income and it is really tough for daily survival. I have three kids and a wife here and no one is working.

“This is the toughest year of my life here. Just imagine a life without money and you have a family who depends on you. Daily suffering.”

Shafee said he would be glad if the government or UNHCR could send him and his family to another country.

“I can’t cope any more. If they don’t allow us to work, send us to another country. We can’t continue to suffer here,” he said.

DBKL acted against 12 UNHCR cardholders who ran stalls in the market during the movement-control order (MCO) and recovery MCO.

Another Myanmar refugee, Mariam (name changed to protect identity), said months of being jobless is challenging, especially those with big families.

Mariam, 47, said she was struggling to feed her family of 13.

“Seven of them are young children. Only three of us used to work but now none of us have jobs.

“We barely can afford one meal a day. We are in debt. We owe people a lot of money,” she said.

Mariam said her heart breaks whenever the children tell her they are hungry as she cannot do much.

“I go to shops at times to ask for food because as adults, we can control our hunger, but the children cannot.

“Sometimes, I just give them rice,” she said.

Mariam said there are only two solutions – either allow them to work or send them to another country.

Following the recent crackdown on undocumented migrants, Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said he wants to see an end to foreigners working in wholesale markets, especially following intense public backlash against the community.

Annuar told business owners to hire locals and encouraged youth to work in the Selayang markets at a minimum monthly salary of RM2,400.

Mariam, who has lived in Malaysia for more than 20 years, said the loss of jobs and crackdown by the authorities resulted in an exodus of Myanmar from around the market looking for work in other areas of the city. 

“There used to be a lot from our community but after the Covid-19 crackdown, I’ve not seen many of them.”

She said many of her community now depend on civil society groups and UNHCR for aid.

“We came to Malaysia because our country has problems, but now we have problems here, too,” Mariam said.

Another refugee, Iqbal, 34, (name changed to protect identity) asked the authorities to send them to another country.

The father of two said if given an opportunity to work again, they would be thankful to the government.

“We came here to earn a living. We’re not asking for a house, car or anything, only a job.

“A job to survive is not much to ask for, even if it is a job in the market.

“The salary we used to get was much lower than what locals got, and we worked longer hours, and we’ve not complained,” Iqbal added. – August 11, 2020.