Marx and the role of Migrant Labour in Malaysia
A topic all Malaysians have been exposed to is the rhetoric around migrant labourers working here, most of them originating from Indonesia, Bangladesh, etc. As leftists, we have the inclination to side with all exploited workers, but we have failed to properly answer a simple question or answer out loud, why are they here?
In 1870, Marx wrote on the exploitation of Irish immigrants by the English ruling class to dominate the English proletariat. And I believe it provides a great mirror to the migrant worker situation here in Malaysia and gives us the observations and words to describe the actual relationships between capitalist, immigrant, and native proletarians. You can read Marx's letter here.
Suppression of wages: Marx observed that the capitalist system relies on an artificially inflated labour pool to cheapen the cost of labour. He notes that an exploited nation "constantly sends her own surplus to the [English] labour market, and thus forces down wages and lowers the material and moral position of the [English] working class." Malaysian capitalists rely on a constant pipeline of surplus labour from neighbouring, economically disadvantaged nations like Indonesia and Bangladesh. And by maintaining this large pool of migrant workers who can be paid significantly less than the local living wage, employers artificially force down wages for all workers in Malaysia, degrading the material position of the local working class.
Dividing the Working Class: Marx argued that the most important outcome of this immigration was the fracturing of worker solidarity when he wrote "Every industrial and commercial centre [in England] now possesses a working class divided into two hostile camps, [English] proletarians and [Irish] proletarians." Rather than identifying the capitalist class as the source of low and stagnant wages, the Malaysian working class is split into two distinct factions: local citizens and foreign labourers. This creates an environment where the local Malaysian worker begins to view the immigrant worker not as a fellow labourer, but "as a competitor who lowers his standard of life," shifting the blame away from the employers who set those low wages. This then devolves into racism, with the whole "Bangla curi kerja kita" narrative.
Turning to Blind Nationalism: Marx highlighted how local workers absorb the ideology of the ruling class to feel superior to immigrants, writing that the native worker "regards himself as a member of the ruling nation and consequently he becomes a tool of the [English] aristocrats and capitalists... He cherishes religious, social, and national prejudices against the [Irish] worker." In Malaysia, capitalists benefit immensely when local Malaysian workers adopt a chauvinistic or xenophobic attitude toward migrant labourers. By leaning into national pride or harbouring social prejudices against workers from Bangladesh or Indonesia, the Malaysian worker inadvertently aligns themselves with the capitalist class. They act as a pawns for the employers by helping to socially police and isolate the migrant workforce, rather than organising alongside them. I think this point really resonates with the Malaysian experience.
Disunity is a Capitalist's Dream: This artificially engineered conflict between native and immigrant labour is the foundation of capitalist dominance. Marx writes: "This antagonism is the secret of the impotence of the [English] working class, despite its organisation. It is the secret by which the capitalist class maintains its power. And the latter is quite aware of this." The strict legal and social stratification between Malaysians and migrant workers, reinforced by media and government policy, ensures that the working class remains impotent. Migrant workers in Malaysia face deportation if they strike, and because local workers are too alienated from them to strike in solidarity, they remain weak. Malaysian capitalists are aware that as long as this antagonism exists, their control over wages, working conditions, and profit margins remains completely secure.
To conclude, Marx is not saying the migrant's fault that they're here and contributing to low working class wages for native workers. On the contrary, he helps define and clarify the role of the migrant in the capitalists' programme of keeping the native proletariat subdued and distracted from the issues that matter most. Again, you can read Marx's work here: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1870/letters/70_04_09.htm