KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — The current refugee crisis must be debated in Parliament and Asean countries must also review their policy of non-interference on the matter, Umno’s Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said today.

The Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) chief executive officer also said there is an urgent need for Parliament to address the matter.

“Proham (Association for the Promotion of Human Rights) and GMM would like to call on the Malaysian Parliament to debate this issue, but we are not here to advise what is to be debated by the Malaysian Parliament.

“Most importantly is if the Malaysian Parliament issue a strong stance on this issue, it will give a very important signal,” he told reporters after GMM-Proham roundtable discussion on the ASEAN Humanitarian Crisis in the seas of Southeast Asia: What are the durable solutions.

He said they will seek a meeting with Parliament speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia on Monday to find a way to initiate the debate, which is already on paper, after Sungai Siput MP Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj filed the motion to do so.

The former Umno supreme council member acknowledged that most governments favour the non-interference policy, but when it comes to non-traditional threats such as diseases and climate change, governments in the region have to work together.

“Even if we don’t demand that the whole non-interference idea is removed, at least this will allow for some kind of discussion,” he said.

Co-chair of the national organising committee of the Asean People’s Forum 2015 Yap Swee Seng said Asean should also consider sending a fact-finding mission to the Rakhine state to investigate the root cause of the problems faced by the Rohingyas.

“A special envoy is also a possibility, who can talk to the Burmese government and different stakeholders in Rakhine state about the issue.

“There are many things that Asean can do but it is the political will that is in question,” he said.

Yap also suggested that the Malaysian government issue refugees with the IMM 13 pass to allow them to work and have access to education and healthcare, something that has already been provided to those from Aceh, as well as the Filipinos in Sabah.