The Minister cannot see the difference between an employed foreigner and a jobless sinkie in the country.
When a foreigner is given a work permit to get a job in sinkie land, he will remit his earnings back home to generate the economy of his own country. Call it loss of purchasing power or capital outflow but either way, it does not benefit sinkie land.
When a sinkie is employed, his earnings will be spent in the country to stimulate the local economy and keep it humming. Only a fool will give work permit to foreigners to help a foreign country and let sinkies go jobless.
Sinkie land is a rose among the thorns of other countries in SE Asia. Political stability, excellent infrastructures, etc and sinkie land has it all which the other countries in SE Asia do not have. Foreign investment goes where there is safety to grow their investment, not where foreign manpower is plentiful.
Let the foreign companies do what they want in sinkie land and sinkies will remain "job beggars" in their own country.