A man has sparked debate online after he was filmed entering a grocery store and confronting a foreign worker whom he believed was operating the business illegally.
The incident was shared on X, where the video drew criticism from netizens over the man’s aggressive behaviour.
‘You cannot open shop here!’
According to the video, the man walked into the grocery store while recording the incident on his phone.
He then questioned the foreign worker’s role in the shop and loudly claimed that “Pakistanis cannot open shops and do business in Malaysia”.
At one point, the man was heard saying: “If I tell you to close the shop, you close the shop.”
During the confrontation, he also knocked over items inside the store before leaving the premises in anger.
Foreigners are not allowed to hold certain business licences
Previously, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming had previously stated in Parliament that foreigners are barred from applying for or holding licences for small businesses.
This includes businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, car workshops, markets, and other business premises.
Under the relevant trade, business and industrial licensing laws, only Malaysian citizens are allowed to obtain business licences.
Foreigners may only work as employees if they have valid work permits or the proper authorisation.
Netizens bash vigilante act
While some netizens acknowledged that authorities should investigate if there were indeed licensing issues, many criticised the man for taking matters into his own hands.
Several also suspected that the foreigner in the video may have simply been a long-term worker rather than the actual shop owner.
