GEORGE TOWN: A human rights activist has warned the government that it will cause an “explosion” in Covid-19 numbers if it goes ahead with its plan to round up undocumented migrants in mass raids.
The home minister must be held responsible if that were to happen, said Adrian Pereira, whose organisation, North-South Initiative, fights for migrant rights.
He said it was short-sighted of the government to deny amnesty to undocumented migrants as it defeated the purpose of the national Covid-19 vaccination drive.
“The minister should be held accountable if infections rise and Malaysians get infected too,” he said.
Home minister Hamzah Zainudin has defended the plan to detain undocumented migrants on a large scale as a move to get them vaccinated amid fears that they might not turn up for their jabs.
He said it would allow them to be registered and be documented.
Yesterday, he said in a press interview that there was no need for an amnesty or a programme to allow migrants to take up jobs in certain sectors.
Pereira said the scope of the so-called “recalibration” programme ought to be expanded to all sectors.
He welcomed the programme, saying it gave employers the opportunity to hire workers from an available pool instead of spending money on new migrants.
He said the response to the programme had been lukewarm because it required those interested to have passports and this made it difficult for migrants faced with bureaucratic barriers put in place by embassies since the pandemic started.
Pereira said a moratorium on enforcement or a temporary amnesty was still the best bet until all undocumented migrants were vaccinated, adding that they must be given a chance to be legalised or opt to leave the country when the pandemic is over.
“If we continue with our present strategy of raids and arrests, it might also affect Wisma Putra’s chances to be a member of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council for the 2022-2024 term,” he said.
The United Nations said raids on migrants in a pandemic could lead to adverse results and undermine public health objectives.
“The UN in Malaysia has discussed with the government that in order to encourage undocumented people to come forward for vaccination, guarantees such as temporary exemptions or a moratorium on detention and deportation are important,” a spokesman told FMT by email.
Some 200,000 undocumented migrants have applied for the recalibration programme under the immigration department. Half of them have applied to return to their home countries. - FMT
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