Tic-Tac-Toe: Malaysia vs. its migrant workers & refugees

I despise condescending & racist attitudes towards anyone. And that is exactly what I see a large majority of comments towards poor refugees & migrant workers on social media are, as well as governmental sentiments. What are you scared of, Malaysians? Aren't refugees & migrant workers also normal people, like you? Didn't your forefathers once come to a foreign land, scared stiff & uncertain about what the future would hold for them- in search for prosperity, & a good, safe life, free from persecution & all sorts of dangers? 

In fact, I do not recall being as repulsed after reading a news article as I was with Malaysia Kini's, yesterday - Refugees make more than 7,000 sets of PPE for medical frontliners. Forget social entrepreneurship. To me, to unselfishly create things for a country's citizens whose government has failed multiple times to protect you - which is their duty from a moral, human rights' standpoint - is beyond my understanding. Let's not forget that the barrage of hateful, racist comments that Heidy Quah received recently, is appalling. Where is your empathy & moral compass, Malaysians?

I'm perfectly aware that Malaysia is not a party to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951 and other related protocols. But this is NOT an excuse for Malaysia to treat its refugees inhumanely in the battle against Covid-19.  It's no longer about being tied to certain laws anymore; Malaysia is bound by Article 14(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 & Article 12 of the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam 1990, but is it doing anything to treat these people with fairness, & more importantly- with dignity? 

No. It's not. The number of raids, cases of abuse in detention centres & jails, detention centres being over-flooded with illegal immigrants & refugees, pushing away Rohingya-filled boats back to sea, & the sheer scale of xenophobic comments about these poor people, is only increasing by the day. To me, these responses are sickening. ASEAN talks about ethics, & human rights all the time, but the real hypocrites are the governments themselves, who fail to protect this segment of society & neglect them. Covid-19 does not know race. But the governments do. And this only creates a trickle-down effect to the citizens; when leadership crumbles & sets norms that go beyond ethics, citizens will get influenced. To me, diplomatic pressure, strategic partnerships such as civil society-public-private partnerships (CPPPs) & policy frameworks are superficial; it is the actions that we take, that can resolve this issue strategically. Vulnerability warrants actions, but ethical actions; we need more inclusive approaches to this situation. I absolutely despise illogical people & policies that don't serve a purpose; that are designed on the basis of nepotism & stupidity - without understanding the situation & implications for the future.

Malaysia's not the only one to mistreat its workers- Singapore has embraced the reality & suffered, & only till it hits its peak in Covid-19 cases amongst migrant workers, did it take the steps to construct more accommodation for them. Is this enough? WHY, did Malaysia & Singapore neglect these people in the first place? Migrant policies are hardening all around the world, especially here - where the word asylum, is slowly blending into the background. But shouldn't keeping refugees & migrants safe from Covid-19 & other hazards be part of protecting your population dear governments? If so, why is this segment being so unabashedly discriminated? So now, don't go attacking someone's RACE, for YOUR inability TO PREVENT & CONTROL the situation from nosediving in the first place, Malaysia.

Truth be told, civil society should not be filling in our- citizens' - duties to stand in solidarity with the migrant workers & refugees. It's not about civil society anymore- it's about being a CIVIC society, & turning an empathetic ear to these people, listening to them, & helping all that we can. But it's also the governments' role, to stop the spread of immense hatred & prejudice towards refugees & migrant workers. 

Let's do this together.