KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — Human rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today criticised Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan recent statement that legalising undocumented workers is a “stupid” idea.
In a statement today, LFL director Zaid Malek said Saravanan’s statement was outrageous and disappointing as the minister had previously given a commitment to the government to address the issues of forced labour.
During a forum on human capital migration in Sabah last week, Saravanan said illegal immigrants should be deported to their countries of origin as legalising them would encourage more to enter the country.
“The minister’s reaction is simplistic, superficial, and ignores the root causes of the entry of undocumented migrants into the country.
“The undocumented migrants are largely victims of circumstances beyond their control; they are not deliberate offenders against our immigration laws.
“Having been duped by deceitful agents or unscrupulous employers, they have become ‘illegal’ as a result,” Zaid said in the statement.
He said the manner and treatment that many undocumented migrants suffer in order to get into Malaysia, they should be considered as victims of trafficking.
Zaid said the gravity of deportation of undocumented migrants must not be overlooked as most of them have incurred great financial costs or taken out loans for the opportunity to work here.
“Thus deporting them may cause grave financial ruin, or even worse, physical violence and even death at the hands of unforgiving loan sharks.
“The fact of the matter is that a large portion of our economic sector is reliant on migrant workers.
“Deporting them in swathes would create a vacuum in our labour force which would, in turn, necessitate us to bring in more migrant workers to replace them, thus creating the cycle of undocumented workers again.
“It would be easier, more humane, and more cost effective to legalise those who are readily available here,” he said.
Zaid urged the government to have more comprehensive and practical solutions to the issue of undocumented migrants, which are consequences of the nation’s poor labour policies and weak and corrupt enforcement.
