JUNE 23 — In the New York Times bestseller, ‘Half the Sky’, written by Putlizer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDann for their coverage of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, one would think you would be reading about trafficking stories in India, Africa or Cambodia. To my shock, the very first page of the book was about human trafficking right in the glistening city of Kuala Lumpur.

It comes with little surprise then, that Malaysia finds itself in the lowest ranking for the US State Department Trafficking in Persons report, alongside the likes of North Korea, Congo and Zimbabwe. One wonders which trajectory the promise of Malaysia’s best democracy is heading towards.

Headlines of this result and Malaysia being called out splashed across the likes of the BBC, New York Times, Guardian and TIME. Once again, we have found ourselves in the light of shame in the international media.

Malaysia, far from an ideal response, has dismissed the US State Department’s annual human trafficking report, describing information used to prepare it as “flawed”, “inaccurate” and “provided by dubious organisations.

One has to wonder whether the report was indeed “flawed” and “inaccurate” or that it is simply the Malaysian government itself that is delusional and arrogant for its refusal to accept the truth.  And far from that, it does not even meet the minimum standards and requirements other countries have in combating human trafficking. That just perhaps its ‘best’ is really not good enough.

It is time the BN government face up that its treatment and protection of fellow humans within its borders have been dismissal and far from acceptable by human standards. As the report highlights, a “significant number of young foreign women are recruited ostensibly for legal work in Malaysian restaurants, hotels, and beauty salons, but are subsequently coerced into the commercial sex trade.” Why would this happen in a country that prides itself in religious stance? Are Bibles with questionable Godly terms deemed more necessary of institutional attention and intervention than a woman forced into sex trafficking?

It was also highlighted “many migrant workers on agricultural plantations, at construction sites, in textile factories, and in homes as domestic workers throughout Malaysia are exploited and subjected to practices indicative of forced labour, such as restrictions on movement, deceit and fraud in wages, passport confiscation, and imposition of significant debts by recruitment agents or employers.” Would the government help to care and ensure proper rights, protection and justice for every individual in their borders? Would refugees have formal recognition such as the 80,000 Filipino Muslims refugees who fled their land due to in-fighting? Where is Perkasa and ISMA in times like these to stand up for their Muslim brothers?

The question is, what is the BN government really doing to combat all these trafficking issues, having been already on the watchlist for a subsequent number of years? And if the government cannot guarantee the human rights of migrants and refugees within its borders, what more can we expect as its citizens in other areas? It is no wonder then why we face religious oppression, political repression and persecution of advocates.

This embarrassing downgrade is another shameful reminder of our government’s poor priorities and barely-there stance. The BN government has often paid lip service is many areas, and have failed to execute the talk and pledges. Even worst, this downgrade opens Malaysia up to possible economic sanctions and restrictions on US foreign assistance and access to institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Malaysia tentu ‘boleh’.

*This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.