KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — The Human Resources Ministry said it is examining an appropriate mechanism to allow refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to seek employment.
The federal government however clarified that these jobs will be limited to those in the category dubbed “3D”: Dirty, dangerous and difficult.
“For this purpose, the government is also creating a refugee data collection system at the government level, which means, in addition to being registered under UNHCR, this group also needs to be registered with the government.
“The registration mechanism with the government will be finalised by the Home Ministry,” Minister for Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said in a Parliamentary written reply yesterday.
The minister was responding to PKR’s Selayang MP William Leong who asked if the government will consider and fine-tune the proposal to allow refugees who have been registered under UNHCR to participate in some economic sectors rather than increasing the quota of foreign workers.
Armizan added that the government intends to grant work permits to refugees under the category of unskilled workers by utilising existing employer quotas.
“Prospective employers are required to comply with the current eligibility requirements as well as the current Employment Policy and Labour Law as stipulated by the government.
“At the same time, the government has also held a series of engagements with the UNHCR to obtain profiles of refugees including the level of education, skills and types of work undertaken, including suggestions to learn best practices from countries such as the Philippines and Turkey.
“The Human Resources Ministry will lead the Work Permit for Refugees Working Committee whose main function is to handle matters regarding work permits for refugees in various sectors that are deemed appropriate and following current needs,” he said.
The Human Resources Ministry had on October 2 said it approved the quote of 7,500 foreign workers for three sub-sectors, including the existing 5,000 foreign workers in the sub-sectors, based on the records of the Immigration Department.
The approval of the recruitment of foreign workers for the three sub-sectors is also subject to the existing business operations and not new businesses.
It is estimated that there are nearly 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia from countries such as Myanmar, Syria, and Afghanistan. Malaysia however is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 protocol, and therefore the demographic is not recognised and considered “illegal immigrants”.
In May, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government is considering entering into an agreement with the UNHCR regarding the commission’s role and responsibilities towards refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.
A survey by international market research firm Ipsos released in June said most Malaysians favoured closing their country’s borders to refugees, with around 72 per cent of respondents saying Malaysia should turn away refugees entirely as 73 per cent believed they came here merely for economic reasons and welfare services.
