KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — Malaysia’s sole recipient of the Queens Young Leaders Awards entered DAP today, saying she hoped to use the platform for her cause of championing education rights for refugees in Malaysia.

Heidy Quah, 23, who is behind the Refuge For The Refugees (RFTR) organisation, added that she was joining politics to pursue her ambition of influencing policy decisions and legislation that affect refugees.

“We need to look at the issues on the ground to give equal opportunities to the refugees to receive education.

“There are 40,200 refugees under the age of 18 years old, who do not have access to education. We would like to look into how we can integrate them with the locals,” she told a press conference after she submitted her membership application at the new DAP Segambut office, here.

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According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are about 157,580 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia as of May this year.

Quah said though 90 per cent of the refugees in Malaysia are Burmese, she said her team of seven manage other refugee families as well, such as those from Pakistan.

The accounting and finance major said she also looked forward to working with adult refugees, such as providing vocational training opportunities to develop baking, sewing and grooming skills.

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Quah said she was inspired to play a role in nation-building after she read Yeoh’s book, Becoming Hannah. She flew off to London last year to receive the Queen’s Young Leaders award and had deliberated the past year joining DAP.

“I have chosen DAP because I strongly believe in all the values the party stands for, a party that runs on the principles of human rights, equality, social and economic justice.

“Being a young activist who is passionate about serving the young people in Malaysia, I hope to be able to play a role in looking into policies and legislations for the underprivileged and down trodden while alleviating the voices of Malaysian youth and giving them a platform to be heard,” she said.

Quah said she hopes to work alongside DAP parliamentarians and share her experience working on the ground and see efforts made to improve the situation.

“This is a first step for me. Baby steps but it’s what I have chosen to do,” she said.