North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira says better access to education and legal employment could help reduce social problems and improve refugees’ quality of life. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Public anger towards the Rohingya is misplaced because it overlooks deeper causes of social problems within the community, said rights group Tenaganita.
Among these problems, it said, are their exclusion from legal work and formal education, as well as a lack of secure legal status.
Its executive director, Glorene Das, said individuals who broke the law should be held accountable, but this should not lead to an entire community being judged or dehumanised.
“But we must also ask why this is happening and where it is coming from,” she said.
Glorene Das.
Das said years of poverty, insecurity and exclusion from legal employment and education had consequences, while successive governments had failed to put in place a comprehensive refugee policy.
She said refugees registered with the UNHCR still had no legal immigration status or right to work in Malaysia, while their children could not attend public schools.
However, Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, popularly known as Dr Maza, said a lack of education alone could not explain all forms of problematic behaviour.
While acknowledging that education played an important role in shaping character, he said basic conduct, such as treating others well and refraining from harming people, did not require a high level of education.
He said the Rohingya issue should also be viewed alongside other communities facing displacement or similar difficulties, citing Syrians and Palestinians.
Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
“In my view, it comes down to attitude and mentality,” he said.
Asri said refugees should not be prevented from earning a livelihood, although their participation in the economy had to be regulated in a way that did not create tensions.
He said the rights of all parties must be protected, adding that while the Rohingya should not be subjected to injustice, they must also respect the rights and boundaries of others.
Adrian Pereira, executive director of the social justice NGO North-South Initiative, agreed that individuals remained responsible for their actions, but said better access to education and legal employment could still help reduce social problems and improve refugees’ quality of life.
He said education was particularly important in giving refugees a pathway towards greater independence and social mobility.
Adrian Pereira (NSI).
“That’s how people climb up the social ladder to be more effective. We have seen Rohingya refugees with education who have taken charge of their lives, who are working and paying their own bills,” he told FMT.
Pereira said better access to education and legal employment could also make refugees less reliant on handouts and allow them to become more self-reliant.
He said the lack of a formal right to work pushed many refugees into informal employment, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and trapped in a cycle in which they struggled to pay for necessities such as education and healthcare.
“At the end of the day, they’re just like you and me. There is nothing different. They’re just stuck in a very difficult circumstance, not by choice,” he added.
Refugee registration a step forward
Das said the government’s refugee registration document (DPP) programme could be an important first step, particularly as it marked a move towards a more structured registration system and opened a pathway for some refugees to work legally.
However, she said the initiative should go beyond a pilot involving only a small number of people.
“We need to see this developed into a comprehensive and rights-based refugee framework,” she said.
Das said the next step should include legal access to decent work for registered refugees, education for refugee children, protection from exploitation and detention, and greater clarity and security over their legal status.
“For Tenaganita, self-reliance is very important. If people are going to be living among us for years, they should have the opportunity to work, support their families, educate their children and contribute to society.”
She said Malaysia continued to recruit migrant workers for sectors facing labour shortages, while refugees already living in the country were largely prevented from working legally.
“The DPP is a beginning. What matters now is where we take it from here, and whether protection and human dignity remain at the centre of it,” Das said.
The DPP programme was officially rolled out on Jan 1 to register refugees through biometric data collection, security screening and status verification, with the first phase focused on those held at immigration detention depots.
As of June, 78 Rohingya had been granted refugee status under the pilot, with 25 identified as eligible for employment.
The government has said the programme will subsequently be expanded to UNHCR cardholders and refugee claimants outside detention centres.
The government has stressed that registration under the DPP does not grant refugees permanent residence. This means that repatriation, third-country resettlement or deportation remains an option.