It is not easy
managing refugees. Malaysia, a small nation of limited resources, knows this
only too well. But Malaysia can do better.
Like being more
humane. The Wednesday escape by 528 Rohingya refugees from the Immigration
detention depot in Sungai Bakap, Kedah, is itself very telling. No words need
be spoken.
Their tale is that of
tears of ones who have seen their days in the crowded detention depot grow into
weeks, months and more.
Let's ask this, as Ab
Jalil Backer of Angkatan Karyawan Nasional does in Sinar Ahad: Would someone
who had left his life's possessions behind, escaping murder and massacre at
home, stay cooped up in a crowded depot for who knows how long? Granted, we are
a nation of limited resources. But being humane to the refugees doesn't mean we
are robbing Peter to pay Paul. There is no zero-sum game here. Have a heart. oreign residentshts of refugees normal there as it is in Malaysia, they
wouldn't come here. This is a fact we must learn to accept. And if Myanmar
becomes hospitable to the Rohingya once again, they would surely rush home. As
they say, home is where the heart is. human capital waiting to be
tapped. Do not waste them away. But firstly we must nurture the human capital
by giving them learning opportunities. As it is, they are left to teach
themselves. Successful autodidacts are few and far between.
The lucky ones are
taught by non-governmental organisations, but these have limited resources to
make learning last. And not all of them can teach living skills. Malaysia must
learn how to be inclusive and allow them to attend schools as Malaysians do.
This doesn't mean we are promising them a permanent stay here. No, this is a wrong way of seeing.
Instead, we are
preparing them with learning and living skills for their future in their
adopted homes. Or better still, for their journey home when things become
normal. Skilled refugees have a better prospect of being resettled in third
countries.
Thirdly, since we are
always short of foreign workers, why not tap the resources of the refugees?
According to the latest UNHCR data, there are 156,110 Myanmar refugees, including
Rohingya, in the country. Minus some 50,000, who are children below 18, the
labour force is still a good 100,000. With some training, they can be maids,
plantation and factory workers.
Malaysia needn't
trouble itself spending time and energy negotiating with governments for
foreign workers when we have plenty in the country.
Finally, by being
humane to refugees, Malaysia would send a strong message to Myanmar, a country
with genocidal tendencies, on how to treat fellow human beings.
Rohingya refugees treated well -
Hamzah [NSTTV] - New ...
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