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The Securitization of Migrant Workers in Sabah, Malaysia

Author

Listed:
  • Ramli Dollah

    (Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS))

  • Kamarulnizam Abdullah

    (Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM))

Abstract

In the past decades, the Malaysia’s economy, particularly in Sabah, faced high dependence on migrant workers, predominantly Indonesian and Filipino workers. This over-reliance on migrant workers made the ruling elites in the country fear that their dominant presence would undermine the government’s policy to move Malaysia from a labor intensive to an automation in order to achieve the status of a developed nation, as well as a policy to prioritize locals over foreigners in all economic sectors. In order to implement this policy and to break the economic sectors from continuing to rely on the foreigners, the ruling elites have continuously associated migrant workers, especially illegal laborers, as a security threat that needs to be flushed out. This paper utilizes the Copenhagen School framework of securitization to explain why the securitizing actors, namely the politicians and the ruling elites, continue to frame Indonesian and the Filipino workers in Sabah as security issue. Two case studies are presented to examine the securitization of migrant workers in Sabah: first, “All-out war against illegals” and Ops Nyah II, 2002–03 and second, Ops Nasihat, 2004–05. However, this paper argues that making illegal migrant workers as security issue and form a sound policy to control immigrants cannot solely rely on the speech act and power of persuasion, as central in the theory because other condition factors, namely the domestic politics of the state, the federal-state relations, nature of state economy, and international pressures, are also significant in explaining why the government has never been consistent in its policy on migrant workers in Sabah.

Suggested Citation

  • Ramli Dollah & Kamarulnizam Abdullah, 2018. "The Securitization of Migrant Workers in Sabah, Malaysia," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 717-735, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:19:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s12134-018-0566-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-018-0566-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amelie F. Constant, 2014. "Do migrants take the jobs of native workers?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-10, May.
    2. repec:iza:izawol:journl:y:2014:p:10 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Rhanye Mac Guad & Yuan Seng Wu & Yin Nwe Aung & Shamala Devi Sekaran & André Barretto Bruno Wilke & Wah Yun Low & Maw Shin Sim & Rogie Royce Carandang & Mohammad Saffree Jeffree & Hamed Taherdoost & C, 2021. "Different Domains of Dengue Research in Malaysia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Questionnaire-Based Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-30, April.
    2. Bagong Suyanto & Rahma Sugihartati & Sutinah & Medhy Hidayat, 2020. "Bargaining the Future: a Descriptive Study of the Lives of the Indonesian Illegal Migrant Workers," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 185-204, March.

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