Un-Malaysian! Nazri pans negative depiction of migrants and refugees

 

Former de facto law minister Nazri Aziz has criticised some aspects of the recent narrative on refugees and migrants by authorities, saying that they go against Malaysia’s humanitarian traditions.

“I think that is very ‘un-Malaysian’; Malaysians have always been welcoming to refugees on humanitarian grounds,” Nazri told Malaysiakini.

The Padang Rengas MP was commenting on a recent poster by the National Task Force on Rohingya migrants, which has since been taken down after widespread condemnation.

The poster had shown three armed personnel from the police, army and maritime enforcement bodies against a background of refugees sailing in wooden boats on the high seas, with words in Bahasa Malaysia reading (translation): “Ethnic Rohingya migrants, your arrivals are uninvited”.

Despite the poster being taken down, the negative narrative persists as Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin yesterday shared a list of migrant hotspots based on FB complaints and a leading daily paper published an article that courted flak for presenting an anti-Rohingya viewpoint.

Asked about the perceived rise of xenophobic sentiment in the country, Nazri said he believed the majority of Malaysians still do not share those sentiments.

“Probably there are some negative incidents involving the Rohingya community that made Malaysians angry, but that shouldn’t amount to putting up posters and having a hatred campaign against them,” he said.

Klang MP Charles Santiago also called for more responsible reporting on the migrant and refugee communities.

“It’s appalling to note that the reporters did not bother to get both sides of the story and neither did they interview hundreds of locals to conclude that everyone looks at the Rohingya as troublemakers.

“The role of the media is to provide accurate reporting. Sensational journalism shouldn’t become the norm of the day, especially when it involves vulnerable communities like refugees and migrants who are already abused and victimised.

“Media workers should be aware of the ongoing Immigration raids and posters warning the Rohingya against coming into Malaysia, which continue to fuel even more hatred,” he said in a statement today.

Charles called on the media to talk to activists, UNHCR representatives, and NGOs for a fair representation of issues on the ground that are affecting refugees and migrants and reminded them of the contribution of migrant workers and refugees to the country.

“I urge reporters, editors and all media workers to report fairly and not come up with lopsided articles that would further victimise vulnerable people or worsen the fear-mongering in the country,” he said.

Allow legal refugees to find jobs

Meanwhile, Nazri also suggested that Malaysia should accommodate legal refugees and help them find employment.

“I cannot understand why we cannot allow them to work. If they already have the UNHCR card, then allow them to work.

“Otherwise, we (the government) have to support them,” he said.

“Rather than allowing their children to beg on the street, give the refugees work instead and let them earn a living,” Nazri added.

Charles and Bar Council Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee co-chairperson M Ramachelvam both agreed, saying substantial changes are needed to improve the living conditions of refugees.

Charles said that while enacting a refugee law is unrealistic, there is clearly room for improvement within the current system.

“It (a refugee law) will not see the light of day. What you can do is you have the existing system in place, (improve it so) that if refugees receive a UNHCR’s card, then they would be allowed to be employed.”

“Why bring so many migrant workers? Why not let the refugees work?” he questioned.

Charles said that this is much better than turning refugees into enemies of the state, as their detractors might claim.

“Let me assure you that nobody wants to be a refugee, they’re not here by choice.

“Refugees don’t come here to stay, they come here for temporary support,” he reminded.

Ramachelvam, on the other hand, argued that a comprehensive policy to deal with refugees and asylum seekers in our country ensures consistency of refugee’s treatment.

Under a proper policy framework, Ramachelvam said, there are two main aspects that the government should focus on.

“They should have the legal right to work. This is the most important aspect that needs to be attended to.

“The second aspect is the education rights of their children.

“We are having a large community of refugee children who are growing up without education and the necessary skills,” he said.

A longtime refugee and migrant rights advocate, Ramachelvam supports the rights of refugee children to attend public schools.

He said the Malaysian government should look back at the commitments and the requirements of the Global Compact on Refugees, which was signed under the Pakatan Harapan administration in 2019.

“We’re morally bound to comply because we’ve signed on to the Global Compact on Refugees,” he said.

Charles and Ramachelvam both called on the Malaysian government to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

‘No excuse to mistreat refugees’

However, Nazri, who had personally handled refugee issues during his time as a minister, believed otherwise.

“The government can work with the United Nations to resolve refugee and migrant issues without being a signatory to the convention,” he said.

Nazri also stressed that refugees should be treated respectfully regardless of Malaysia’s status on ratifying the convention.

“That doesn’t mean we should mistreat the refugees.

“I still believe that we should accommodate them on humanitarian grounds,” he said.

Last week, Hamzah announced that there are 178,715 UNHCR cardholders in the country, but called on the body to provide authorities with detailed information to facilitate their immunisation.

He added that the ministry had identified almost 2.5 million foreigners in the country who held various documents issued by the government or third parties such as UNHCR, including prisoners and Immigration detainees, for Covid-19 vaccination.

Hamzah had come under fire for initially taking a hardline stance, saying that law enforcers, including the Immigration Department, were prepared to make more arrests and that steps were being taken to boost capacity at prisons and immigration detention centres.

However, he later clarified that he will work together with National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, to ensure that the foreigners receive their vaccination.

Khairy had initially given his assurance that migrant workers need not fear arrest even if they were not documented. - Mkini