Specific laws needed to address refugee issues, says Sabah MP

 Wilfred Madius Tangau says refugee management now hinges on government directives and wide discretionary powers, which could lead to mismanagement, abuse of power, and a lack of coordination.

Some of the undocumented Filipino migrants repatriated by Sabah in August. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

An MP has called on the government to formulate legislation to address refugee-related issues in the country, including managing the refugee community and identifying the authority responsible for overseeing it.

Wilfred Madius Tangau (GRS-Tuaran) said that without specific legislation, refugee management hinges on government directives and wide discretionary powers, which could lead to mismanagement, abuse of power, and a lack of coordination.

“If we want to manage refugees our way, shouldn’t we have (our own) specific laws?” he said when debating a parliamentary select committee report on refugee management in Malaysia in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Tangau said the government should learn from its experience in managing Vietnamese and Filipino refugees in Sabah, as well as the Rohingya in Peninsular Malaysia before deciding on the future of the refugee registration system (DPP) launched in January to replace the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) registration.

The initiative records biometric data and more detailed identity information on migrants in the country.

He also said there is a need for a clear exit policy for temporary refugee housing, or risk the issue prolonging for three generations among Filipino refugees in Sabah.

“The DPP should not be the new IMM13,” he said, referring to one of the documents issued to Filipino migrants with refugee status since the 1970s. - FMT