KUALA LUMPUR – The proposal to close the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has drawn criticism from the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisation (Mapim), saying the country should instead ratify the Refugee Convention 1951 and Protocol 1967.
Mapim chairman Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said Malaysia should leverage on UNHCR’s experience in refugee rights as it makes more sense for the government to work closely with the supranational body.
He added that the UNHCR closure proposal by the National Security Council (NSC) needs to be reviewed as it will bring serious implications to the country.
“Based on NSC’s statement, it sounds like it wants to manage the refugee issue itself, but Malaysia needs to examine its capability in managing refugees,” he told Getaran – The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal.
Mapim has been championing the Rohingya community, which faces conflict in its home country of Myanmar.
Yesterday, Bukit Bendera MP Wong Hon Wai of DAP said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah should explain to Parliament why the government wants to shut down UNHCR.
Wong added that doing so would leave refugees vulnerable and have a big impact on Malaysia’s international relations.
“I urge the foreign minister to give a ministerial statement in Parliament, which will convene on October 3. Parliament is the place to debate policies on refugees as well as mechanisms to deal with their issues in a humane manner while balancing the needs of national security,” Wong said in a statement yesterday.
He was referring to a news report in Berita Harian quoting National Security Council director-general Datuk Rodzi Md Saad, who said the government had long-term plans to close UNHCR’s operations here.
However, Rodzi said the government will only do so once state agencies improve their capacity to manage refugee issues, adding that the intention was for Malaysia to handle refugee issues on its own “without outside interference”.
In July, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin announced a tracking and tracing system to keep tabs on refugees’ whereabouts, which drew condemnation from migrant and refugee rights groups.
The system, called TRIS, would use the database of UNHCR cardholders and asylum seekers. – The Vibes, September 8, 2022
