Health minister denies claim that migrant crackdown during MCO was racist

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said an Al Jazeera video segment, which examined the government’s crackdown on undocumented migrants amid the movement control order (MCO), was inaccurate.

“The report which accused the government’s action of implementing the MCO as racist is not true,” he said in a press conference in Kota Tinggi today. The statement was later posted on the Health Ministry’s Facebook page.

Adham (above) said the government had implemented the MCO in order to handle the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Al Jazeera’s "101 East" segment on July 3, titled "Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown", highlighted the arrests of hundreds of undocumented migrants during the MCO as well as their plight amid this crackdown.

“When you look at these raids, you can’t help but think, is this the practical reality of dealing with the pandemic or is it racism?” the reporter said at the beginning of the segment.

“101 East investigates why Malaysia’s migrant workers are at risk in the time of Covid-19,” the video’s blurb stated.

The segment included interviews with both documented and undocumented migrants, NGOs, civil societies, and trade associations, among others.

It was stated in the video that requests for interviews with Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin and their deputies were declined.

Public sentiment against refugees and migrants have intensified since the MCO was imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with hateful comments proliferating on the Internet.

NGOs have said that the crackdown by authorities against foreign citizens during the MCO has exacerbated the negative sentiments against refugees and migrants.

Migrant and refugee activists have also reportedly received threats of violence as well as death threats. - Mkini