Needs of non-citizen spouses
THE Foreign Spouses Support Group is disheartened by the statement made by the Housing and Local Government Minister that “Owners of People’s Housing Project (PPR) units should evict their ‘foreign’ tenants within 90 days” (Malay Mail Online, June 5).
This was closely followed by Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow’s statement, “Evicted residents no longer qualified to stay there” ( The Star, June 6; online at tinyurl.com/star-evict). In the details of the statement, the chief minister clearly points out the “foreign spouses” category of tenants.
We understand that one of the families that has been evicted from the PPR flats comprises a Malaysian married to a foreign spouse, with a Malaysian child. Isn’t there a more humane way to deal with the issue rather than have them evicted?
Please amend the policy on PPR flats to accommodate such families. On a yearly basis, there are an estimated 100,000 Malaysians marrying non-citizens who form a large pool of unrecognised “latent workforce” of professional and skilled human capital inflow to Malaysia. Unfortunately the previous government was oblivious to this untapped talent; consequently, these spouses are being treated unfavourably and face many challenges.
Malaysians married to foreign spouses and their children encounter widespread discrimination by public and private service providers, such as the inability to access even the most basic facilities in opening an individual bank account or owning affordable housing. We are faced with social exclusion, which creates vulnerable situations of dependency and even domestic violence. A case in point is the proposed eviction from PPR accommodations; this should be reviewed urgently to enable economically-disadvantaged Malaysians married to foreign spouses avail themselves of this facility provided by the government.
Although the restrictions are on foreign spouses, it impacts directly the Malaysian family. For instance, the severe limitations imposed on foreign spouses’ right to work, with their visas bearing the statement “any form of employment is strictly prohibited”, leads to great difficulty in securing jobs.
Although the immigration department claims spouses can work, the process to secure the endorsement to work in itself is rather tedious, especially with the requirement that the employment has to be tied to the duration of the visa and only allowed in the state of residence. Such restrictions means the Malaysian spouse could face an acute financial disadvantage and may be the only bread winner for the family, with an income that is not good enough to opt for non-low-cost housing.
There is a need to be more inclusive in the provision of basic standards of protection and facilities extended to Malaysians with foreign spouses, who undoubtedly form an integral part of the Malaysian community.
We urge the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the various state housing departments to reconsider the policy and allow Malaysians married to foreign spouses to reside in PPR accommodation, provided all other stipulated conditions are met.
We do hope that the current administration will be more inclusive and uphold the rights of Malaysians married to foreign spouses. Please exclude Malaysians married to foreign spouses from overarching policies that govern foreigners and allow for redress and remedial measures of their difficult situation that affects their Malaysian families.
The CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) Committee in the “2018 Malaysia Review” has also voiced its concerns about the policy on foreign spouses and their dependency for their legal status on the Malaysian spouse.
Malaysia has always emphasised the importance of family in the building of its society. In the best interest of building strong, cohesive and resilient Malaysian families, we call for a review and consideration of the policy affecting non-citizen spouses and their Malaysian families.
COORDINATOR Foreign Spouse Support Group