Today’s copy of The Star has an article rather naughtily entitled “Night market hides a foreign secret”. It’s about a market in Sungai Buloh New Village that is operated mainly by traders of Bangladeshi origin and caters mostly to other immigrants. Even though the reporters note that the traders sell pretty much the same things that you might expect to find in a typical Malaysian market and they manage to do it at a lower price than comparable Malaysian traders, the idea that it needs to be hidden implies that this is something wrong or shameful. The article even chose to highlight only comments from those locals who happen to know about the market that put it in a bad light, complaining about how the traders there have stolen business from them, how it has become a gathering place for Bangladeshis and how it’s illegal and protected by thugs.

As often is the case, the article showed up as a discussion thread on LYN, I was pleasantly surprised to read the rational and economically literate reactions from the posters there. One posted that the government should issue them with permits and that they should be allowed to operate as they wish so long as they obeyed the country’s laws and paid their taxes. Another noted that having the local council maintain them as illegal businesses simply meant that the police and other local authorities would be able to extract regular bribes from them. Yet another posted that at least these people were willing to work hard for their money instead of posting silly rants online.

So it seems that there are moderate Malaysians who recognize that this market isn’t only harmless but actually contributes to our national economy. Which makes it doubly sad that a national newspaper like The Star would choose to skip this higher and nobler road of educating the public that immigrants are ultimately a net good for us and instead pander to populist, economically illiterate and racist anti-immigrant sentiment.