COMMENT | The broken system must be fixed

COMMENT | The addiction of Malaysian businesspeople to cheap and exploitable labour has been laid bare by the movement control order (MCO). With it, the role of the government servants - aiders, abettors and co-conspirators in this sordid affair - is in the public domain for all of us to form educated opinions.

If previously we had talked in hush tones on the state of the (illegal) labour market, these days there’s nothing shameful to talk openly, enter into a debate or even make demands for what is illegal to be legalised in the name of a business.

The audacity of such extraordinary, brazen and unabashed wants of these people are akin to addicts flexing their muscles for their periodic fix at all costs.

Cheap labour has been the workhorse for the money that is being churned. Poorly-paid, back-breaking tasks, bad working conditions and unlimited working hours - all of which have come to the fore as attempts are made to restore some façade of orderliness.

Yes, they had been surviving and succeeding (read: lining their pockets) at the expense of undocumented foreigners who crossed the high seas to eke out a living. Without proper wages, accommodation, insurance coverage and access to health, they are caught in this vicious circle.

The slightest grouse or expression of unhappiness with the pay or the working conditions mean...