You Are Truly Trusted Society Sarawak (YATTSS), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), ought to be lauded for reminding the authorities to act against foreigners causing unease and disharmony in Dayak villages as in Bau, Jagoi, Singai, Sematan, Lundu and Serian.
These foreigners, on social visit pass, have set up seven business outlets in Bau andseveral more scattered all over Serikin. They have been active selling door-to-door and allegedly harassing women folk when their husbands and male family members are away at work on weekdays.
Their aggressive tactic of pushing sales borders on extortion as mats, mattresses, fabrics or furniture pieces are left outside the house and they would return on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to collect what was owed to them.
They have allegedly demanded for sex from female customers that could not pay, and a teenage girl was molested while she was having her measurements taken but was too frightened and ashamed to make a police report.
Some foreigners are believed to be involved in drug trafficking in the villages in Bau while others are eager to marry local women to stay longer in Sarawak. Earlier, YATTSS had filed a police report and tipped off the Immigration Department in 2015, but no effective action was taken as could be seen by the increase of foreigners in the area.
The fear of foreign traders dominating local businesses and changing the face of the local community is real, as evident in Kuala Lumpur. Granted, half of the people roaming the streets in major cities around the world are foreign tourists or workers.
But taking over of local businesses by foreigners is undesirable and have dire consequences. In Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Street is more of a Bangla town than Chinatown, and Jalan Bukit Bintang has long turned into Arab Street.
Some of the Arab-speaking traders here are aggressive and have harassed tourists from West Asia. While restaurants that serve Arabian food are needed for long staying visitors, it is disturbing to find foreign traders intimidating tourists in Arabic.
Allowing large numbers to operate at Jalan Bukit Bintang have emboldened these locally based foreign traders, putting fear to visitors and driving away tourists. Tourism authorities should realise that the presence of Arab traders does not attract but deter tourists from West Asia.
And it is not just along Jalan Bukit Bintang. Even nearby Plaza Low Yat, the country’s largest one-stop centre for ICT products is not spared, as many businesses are run by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. Many shops in malls or along the streets of Kuala Lumpur are operated by foreigners.
With longtime residents moving away as traditional businesses continuing to close shop and taken over by foreigners, much of the old city areas have lost its heritage. The River of Life project may succeed in rehabilitating the rivers, but Kuala Lumpur has long lost its soul.
Likewise, foreigners foraging in Sarawak’s interior can have a devastating effect on the local population as gentle and hospitable communities could be turned into a hostile, selfish and greedy lot if left unchecked.
Apart from seeking help from the police and Immigration Department, YATTSS could also approach the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and the state Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development.
It can also enlist the help of other NGOs, as making one more police report and notifying the Immigration Department in another four years would be too late. By then, the situation in Sarawak may have deteriorated close to what Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia is experiencing.
While foreign tourists and investors are welcome everywhere, all destinations should be wary of foreign traders that come to take away local businesses and jobs, and worse, creating unease and disharmony among local communities.
The best safeguard is to ensure foreign traders are not allowed into Sarawak, and those already here and causing havoc should be the first to be deported. If evidence is needed, video cameras could be secretly installed at some of the village houses where they would return to collect payments.
If armed intruders could be hunted down and neutralised, surely it is not too difficult to deal with foreign traders who had to operate in the open, albeit stealthy.
Regular joint operations are bound to stamp out the menace and allow the villages to return to tranquility. Otherwise it would be a paradise lost.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
