NIBONG TEBAL: The disruption of water supply in the Seberang Perai Selatan area has been a prominent issue throughout the week-long campaign of the Sungai Bakap by-election, which began last Saturday.
However, voters are also hoping that the issue of the influx of foreign workers in the area will receive equal attention to prevent local youth from migrating to the cities and potential social problems.
The Sungai Bakap area, one of three state constituencies under the Nibong Tebal parliamentary constituency, hosts numerous factories and industrial zones, leading to a dominance of foreign workers in some residential areas, which causes discomfort among the locals.
A resident of Taman Widuri, who wanted to be known as Izzatul Suhaila, 36, noted that her neighbourhood is increasingly populated by foreign workers, especially Bangladeshis, and Rohingya.
She noted that several residential units, including shophouses, have been converted into their living quarters due to their proximity to the factories where they are employed.
“The area is seeing more and more foreign workers; you can see by 6 pm, buses drop them off. So far, there are no issues of break-ins or harassment against children or women. But as their numbers grow, we feel less comfortable,“ she told Bernama recently.
A food factory worker, who lives in Taman Jawi Jaya, R. Usha, 43, emphasised that this issue should be addressed promptly, as allowing it to persist may lead to social problems.
“Usually, these foreign residents can be seen in large numbers on Saturdays and Sundays because those are their days off; during weekdays, they tend to hang out around the shop-houses,“ she said.
Street fruit vendor Azizan Md Isa, 56, who operates in several areas in Sungai Bakap, said some of these foreign workers cause discomfort, especially due to their lack of cleanliness and their ‘arrogant’ demeanour.
She expressed surprise at how they can run businesses and become bosses, recalling an instance where a foreigner handed her a business card for construction services.
Young voter Aishah Farhana Aziz, 20, from Kampung Sungai Buaya here, revealed her struggle to find a job due to competition with foreign workers who are preferred by employers.
“Most of my peers had to leave or commute from our village to work in nearby towns because many factory employers in this area prefer outsiders over locals. I hope this issue will be addressed,“ she said.
She also expressed hope that the elected representative would prioritise creating more job opportunities, to enable the youth of Sungai Bakap to find employment locally without needing to migrate to cities like Kuala Lumpur.
The Sungai Bakap by-election sees a head-to-head contest between Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Dr. Joohari Ariffin and Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Abidin Ismail, following the death of PAS incumbent Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24 due to abdominal inflammation.
The Election Commission has set July 6 as the polling day involving 39,279 registered voters, comprised of 39,222 civilians and 57 police personnel.
