FOR the past two years, we Indian barber shop owners have been in the dark over the policies pertaining to the recruitment of barbers from India as well as the renewal of our barbers’ work permits.

We have been following government procedures whenever there is a need to bring in new barbers from India: register with the Human Resources Ministry, advertise for local barbers first, and when we fail to get local barbers, apply for foreign ones.

However, for the past one year, all attempts to bring in Indian barbers have failed. To make it more painful for our business, our existing barbers’ work permits have also been blocked and subsequently terminated.

We are truly at a loss and can only wonder whether the government is trying to ruin our livelihood, which is predominantly an Indian business.

When we advertise for local barbers, there are no takers. When we apply for foreign ones, we are not depriving any locals of jobs — they don’t want to work as barbers.

The ministry has been trying to get locals, especially Malays, to take up hairdressing, yet all advertisements for barbers in their Electronic Labour Exchange system have elicited no response.

So what can we do? Shut down?

Lately, there has been a crackdown by the Immigration Department on barbers who do not have proper work permits — those who could not get approval to come in as barbers and instead, resorted to coming in as plantation workers, etc. The barber shops had no choice but to hire them.

At the rate things are going, many of us who own barber shops will lose our livelihood. Is this what the government is trying to do?

Does it want to increase the number of people without income during the current economic downturn?

ARIDAS AYANAR, Rawang

Source: NST – March 31, 2009