Human rights organisation Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has expressed grave concern over Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s comment that the government is not “bowing down” to demands to protect migrants’ rights, calling his remark “startling.”
“It is startling that the government believes that the mass incarceration of undocumented migrants during the movement control order (MCO) would protect Malaysians from the pandemic,” said Zaid Malek, coordinator for LFL, in a statement dated May 27.
“Any increase in cases will be a burden to our own healthcare system, and the spread of Covid-19, even among migrants in detention centres, may increase risk of infection to immigration officers, staff and frontline workers who have to deal with those infected,” added Zaid.
It was also noted that further mass detention of migrants would only exacerbate the problem as crowded detention centres would be the perfect setting for a major spike of Covid-19 cases.
“Infection among migrants in detention centres must not be conceived as an ‘acceptable casualty’ in our fight against the pandemic. Healthcare is a basic right that should be top priority during these trying times. Treatment could be given without detaining migrants en masse, which would put otherwise healthy migrants at risk of infection. It is the humane thing to do,” said Zaid.
The organisation called for the government to acknowledge that many of the undocumented migrants are victims of those exploiting ineffective government policies, noting that they were brought in by domestic private agents to be recruited as migrant workers and only turned “illegal” due to a weakness in the system.
“Yet, it is the migrants who are vilified instead of the agents or employers who exploited them. They are the root cause of the problem, and the government must tackle that head on instead of relying on cheap jingoistic rhetoric,” said Zaid.
LFL urged the government to stop its unwarranted attack on the migrant community, calling for undocumented migrants to be granted temporary amnesty, and that the government ensures that the migrants have the necessary access to treatment and healthcare during the pandemic.
The remark by Ismail Sabri, made on May 26 during the minister’s daily press conference, has the minister saying that those fighting for the rights of illegal workers needed to understand that it was wrong for those who had entered the country illegally to continue staying without the necessary documentation.
“I do not know of any country that allows undocumented people to remain,” he said, adding that those who were not caught might spread the virus. He also said the government’s priority was to ensure the safety of its citizens, and that it would not bow down to the demands of human rights groups. – May 27, 2020
