Rohingyas in Malaysia still facing discrimination

THE Rohingya community is known as the most discriminatedagainst people in the world, according to the United Nations, with more than 200,000 Rohingyas taking refuge in Malaysia.

Walk the Talk Forum; Rohingya at peril, From Home to Malaysia, organised by the Catholic Action Network (CAN), Malaysia, aimed to highlight the plight of the Rohingya community in Malaysia.

The speakers included Cik Syaedah from the Rohingya Women’s Development Network (RWDN); Cikgu Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, President of Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (MAPIM); Ms Mahi Ramakrish-nan, from Beyond Borders Malaysia; and Fr Bernard Hyacinth, from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur.

Syaedah, a Rohingya who has been living in Malaysia for the past 20 years, shared some of the challenges faced by the community, especially during the MCO, which has left many jobless and unable to provide for themselves. The RWDN has been supporting them by providing food aid and job opportunities, such as sewing face masks, to help them make a living.

Cikgu Mohd Azmi highlighted that some of the main issues faced by Rohingyas in Malaysia are lack of proper documentation, welfare of their livelihood, proper education for children, health issues, and loss of accommodation due to xenophobia.

Mahi is of the opinion that the xenophobia directed towards the Rohingya has affected the most vulnerable, i.e., the women, who are targeted the most and are being sexually harassed and body shamed. This has caused untoward fear among the Rohingya community and has affected their opportunities to earn a livelihood. Many Rohingyas have expressed fear of going out to buy groceries or earn a living, since there has been no concerted effort by local authorities to stop the hostility and hate speech aimed at Rohingyas and refugees in general.

Mahi stated that nothing has actually come out of the many discussions with the government officials and in Parliament, because Malaysians are not willing to work alongside refugees as their colleagues.

She said that events such as ‘The Refugee Fest’, which accords refugees empowerment whilst providing them with an opportunity to showcase their talents and change public perception, has become a political tool used for the benefit of others.

Both Syaedah and Fr Bernard believe that the hostility towards and negative perception by Malaysians of the Rohingya community is due to ignorance of their struggles, and is also based on fear – a fear of losing their jobs to these foreigners, and a fear caused by fake news on social media.

The forum ended with a call by the speakers for Malaysians to remember that refugees are humans, with wants, needs, dreams and aspirations. Jerald Joseph, moderator of the forum and member of CAN, said that the plight of the Rohingyas does not affect only one race or religion, but all of humanity, as no one wants to end up a refugee in a different country. – Herald Malaysia