As my family enjoyed the joyous festivals of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, on the 3rd day we decided to drive around the urban residentail areas and the outskirt of KL city where majority of the Malay people are living and working. It is a great city to live in because it has a lot of diversity & culture. There are also plenty of business and job opportunities and the cost of living is relatively low compared to other big cities in Asia.
Malaysians are known for their strong sense of community values and display a strong family commitments. For this Hari Raya most of the Malays together with their families 'balik kampung' (return to the villages) to celebrate the festival with parents, relatives and friends. My wife, Zarina & I together with our children and their families did the same ritual of driving 8-9 hours on the congested highway heading for hometowns up north Peninsula Malaysia on every eve of Hari Raya. However, after the demise our parents we celebrated Raya in Putrajaya.
So, we are thankful to the foreign workers who have boosted the country's domestic market especially the service sector and fuelled the economy when our local workers return home to their villages during long festive seasons like Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Thaipusam, Christmas or even Hari Gawai holidays. Without their labour, the country's productivity & gross domestic product (GDP) would have fallen. The economic multiplier effects of their role are considerable. The Government has rightly and timely imposed all employers to cover their foreign workers with Employment Provident Fund, and Social Security Contributions (SOCSO). (www.kwsp.gov.my; www.perkeso.gov.my)
After touring the calm KL city, my family had lunch at a well-known Western restaurant at the Great Eastern Mall along the famous Jalan Ampang, staffed mainly by workers from the Philippines, Indonesia & Bangladesh. Their passion for their excellence work and deligence are admirable. I noticed the security is being manned by Nepalese. To me, they appear a cut above their local counterparts in every aspect.
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