Malaysia needs to empower refugees, says Santiago

PETALING JAYA: While Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s speech at the United Nations on the fate of the Rohingya was strong and powerful, Malaysia also needs to do more to empower refugees that are here, says Klang MP Charles Santiago (pic). 

He said just as the Prime Minister was stern about his non-cooperation with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi over the treatment of the Rohingya, the government needs to also have the political will to promote and protect the rights of the refugees here.

”And this must be done immediately,” said Santiago in a statement on Monday (Oct 1).

He said that Malaysia needs a comprehensive refugee policy that looked at access to gainful employment, healthcare and structured education for every refugee.

Santiago said this must be done without any further delay as the signing and ratification of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, as promised by Pakatan Harapan in its election manifesto, is a long process.

“Meanwhile the refugees, including the Rohingya, are subject to harassment by the police and immigration, have no means to feed their family or educate their children and cannot afford to pay the high costs at government hospitals,” he said.

Santiago, in his statement, also wanted the Malaysian government to lobby its Asean counterparts to exert pressure on Myanmar to stop the violence against the Rohingya and instead give them back their citizenship.

(Though Malaysia has brought up the Rohingya issue at the Asean level, one of the principle fundamentals of the 10-member grouping is its “non-interference” policy which plays a key role in its extensive interaction with member countries.) 

Stateless and often subjected to arbitrary violence and forced labour in Myanmar, the Rohingya are considered by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

As of August this year, there were 77,130 Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN Refugee Agency or UNHCR in Malaysia, although unofficial estimates are considerably higher.

Dr Mahathir had addressed the United Nations General Assembly last Friday (Sept 28) over the plight of the Muslim minority.

He criticised the authorities in Myanmar and Suu Kyi for denying that the Rohingya people were being murdered, their homes torched and over a million refugees were forced to flee.

Dr Mahathir also questioned the world for keeping silent over the massacres.