KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Former foreign minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar has called for the implementation of a national legal framework to ensure the systematic management of refugees in Malaysia.

He said the recent backlash against Rohingya refugees by Malaysians indicates the absence of government policies to regularise people who require protection. 

"Many of the issues and concerns raised can in fact be reduced through effective policy and programmes for all refugees to educate them about Malaysian law, custom and culture,” Syed Hamid said in an opinion piece.

The former Kota Tinggi MP, who held the ministerial portfolio from 1999 to 2008, argued that although Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the country has a long history of sheltering those in need of protection.

He also expressed his disappointment in the recent Home Ministry statement that there are no Rohingya rights or advocacy groups recognised by the government since no such bodies are registered with the Registrar of Societies.

"How did we go from being an internationally-recognised advocate for one of the most persecuted ethnic minorities in the world, to one that sits in silence as similar hate and intolerance is perpetuated in our own country? 

"The government cannot allow for calls to return victims of genocide into the hands of their persecutors. As a nation, we have to progress and develop, not only economically, but also socially and culturally,” Syed Hamid said. 

He emphasised that it is crucial for the public to study and understand issues as opposed to merely accepting sweeping generalisations and inaccuracies as truth, as well as providing a detailed explainer of the discrimination, conflict, and targeted violence faced by the Rohingya in Myanmar over the decades.

"The solution for the Rohingya is also not as simple as repatriating them. We must revisit

the root cause that has forced them to flee their ancestral lands in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, which is genocide. 

"In January this year, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to take provisional measures to prevent acts of genocide towards the Rohingya. The Rohingya crisis is a regional crisis, and Malaysia has been the leading Asean member state calling on Myanmar to step up and take responsibility,” Syed Hamid said.

He also noted the phenomenon of Rohingya boats in the region attempting to flee from Myanmar is nothing new, highlighting the 2015 Andaman Sea Crisis as an example in which regional cooperation and solidarity is key in resolving this matter.

"Instead of pursuing policies that block the live-saving rescue of refugees on boats, the government must activate and utilise the ‘Consultation Mechanism and Task Force on Planning and Preparedness of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process)’ created to address emergencies such as this. 

"There is an immediate need for a comprehensive regional response to conduct lifesaving search and rescue missions, disembarkation and provision of humanitarian assistance, and more so, increase pressure on Myanmar to end military campaigns against ethnic minorities which have affected many countries in the region,” Syed Hamid said.

Ultimately, as a member of the international community, he said Malaysia has a duty to do what it can within its means for persecuted populations in our land and at its doorstep. 

"The Rohingya people have continued to maintain that they ultimately want to return to Myanmar in safety and dignity. 

"While they are here, and while we collectively seek sustainable solutions for this vulnerable group, Malaysia must play our part,” Syed Hamid said.