Criminality, chaos and corruption: Analyzing the narratives of labor migration dynamics in Malaysia

Abstract

This paper analyzes how policy-relevant actors understand the causes and effects of labor immigration to Malaysia, the country that receives the highest number of migrant workers in Southeast Asia. Whereas most research on international migration governance has focused on governance system outputs, this paper adopts an actor-centered perspective to investigate how actors narratively construct labor migration dynamics in Malaysia and how they conceptualize the drivers and impacts of labor migration policies and practices. The empirical material comes from 41 in-depth interviews with government officials, policymakers, international and regional organizations, nongovernmental organizations, employers’ organizations, trade unions, and embassy representatives. The study found that Malaysia’s migration governance system was perceived as “chaotic” due to the seemingly inconsistent, unclear “ad hoc” policy measures implemented, and that the governance system is perceived as “corrupt.” Economic incentives were also seen as the primary driver of labor immigration, yet the main impact on Malaysian society was perceived as the spread of criminality, violence and disease, a narrative centered on migrant men. This paper argues that this discourse is problematic as it may drive types of policy measures that target migrant men.

Migration and emotions in the media: can socioeconomic indicators predict emotions in images associated with immigrants?

“…Moreover, corruption and weak government policies contribute to the rise in irregular migration and human trafficking [67,68]. That can also affect the perception of immigrants as they end up associated with, often stereotyped, negative characteristics linked with illegal immigrants [69]. On the other hand, contrary to some common assumptions, immigration is generally not linked to increased corruption in receiving countries; instead, migration tends to be associated with a reduction in corruption in countries with low levels of corruption or high levels of economic freedom [70].…”