If Malaysia allows an inflow of Rohingya people into the country, it could hinder efforts to break the Covid-19 chain of transmission, says former prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The ex-PM took to his Facebook page yesterday (23rd April) to say that there was no necessity for Malaysia to accept an influx of foreigners, and this extends to refugees since borders are closed to contain the pandemic.
“The interest of Malaysians should come first,” he said,while making a pointed statement towards an NGO that demanded that the Rohingya community be given equality in Malaysia.
“We don’t hate Rohingya people. But we do not like it when they don’t observe cleanliness and disrespect the law. Some go to the extreme (by) demanding equality.”
Najib added that it seemed as though the Rohingya community had now taken to Malaysia as a potential location to establish permanent homes instead of a temporary shelter. “Some claim to be representatives of an organisation, but it is not even registered,” he added. The ex-PM then called on the government to be firm in appealing to the UN to ensure the safe return of the Rohingya people to their homeland in Myanmar.
“The ICJ (International Court of Justice) has already made a clear verdict, and the UN must proceed with follow-up action instead of issuing rhetorical statements,” said Najib in response to the order initiated on 23rd January which made Myanmar take immediate measures to stop the genocide of the Rohingya community in the northern Rakhine state. While the ex-PM says a temporary camp could be built for the Rohingya community on an isolated island in Malaysia for the sake of humanitarian purposes, he emphasises that this cannot be a permanent arrangement.
“The UN and Asean should take collective responsibility and bear the cost.” When Najib was still in office in 2015, he made his stance clear by insisting that Malaysia’s willingness to assist in humanitarian efforts should not be misunderstood as a sign that anyone could enter the country.
The former prime minister added that Malaysia has been kind to the Rohinya people, “Nobody can claim that we have acted cruelly against them.When I was in office, our army built them a field hospital at Cox Bazar (in Bangladesh). I believe Malaysia is among the nations that helped the Rohingya people the most. But don’t take advantage of our kindness.”
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Also read: 250 Rohingya Refugees Docked at Langkawi This Morning, Netizens Extremely Angry
