MAY 30 — I refer to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s statement yesterday – that the Rohingya migrant issue should be resolved at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)’s level, with assistance from third countries and international bodies, expressing the importance of Asean countries to find a solution together.

Regrettably, the Prime Minister did not provide any definite proposals for Asean’s consideration in solving the migrant crisis; nor did he specifically address Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingyas as being the root cause of thousands of Rohingyas fleeing their country.

Malaysia has, on several occasions recently, failed to seize the opportunity by providing the much needed leadership, as chairman of Asean and member of UN Security Council, to voice out about the dire suffering and discrimination faced by the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

On May 21, the Malaysian Foreign Minister led a delegation to Myanmar, but failed to spell out what assurances were sought and given by the Myanmar government to solve the migrant issue.

Similarly, Malaysia has also failed to issue any public statements expressing any form of concern or condemnation following the UN Security Council briefing by UN Human Rights Chief, Zeid Ra’ad Hussein, on the dire situation and institutional discrimination of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar last Thursday.

Yesterday, 17 countries from across Asean concluded a one-day emergency meeting held in Bangkok, with plans to address the root causes of the migration crisis, and yet, no public statement has been issued thus far with regard to Malaysia’s stand on the issue.

It is also ironic that Malaysia, a member of the UN Security Council, has not even signed the 1951 UN Refugee Convention; and does not have a national legislative framework to deal with refugees – leading to harrassment, ill-treatment and a denial of their fundamental rights.

In order to reach a permanent regional solution for the Rohingya refugee crisis, our government must publicly stop skirting around and evading the real issues at play.

As member of the UN Security Council, and Chair of Asean, our Prime Minister must now take the lead by :

1) making a clear and unequivocal public stand on Malaysia’s position, that we fully support the UN General Assembly resolution passed last year urging Myanmar to provide “full citizenship” rights to its Rohingya Muslim minority and to allow them basic freedoms, such as education, healthcare, and the right to move freely throughout the country; and

2) leading the ASEAN group to endorse the above UN General Assembly Resolution in engaging the Myanmar government as the only permanent means to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Finally, I call upon our Prime Minister to make public the full details of the draft Asean Convention on Trafficking in Persons, and the corresponding Regional Plan of Action to be tabled at the upcoming Asean ministerial meeting in September – which has been discussed by Asean since 2007.

In particular, the Prime Minister should highlight how exactly the Convention will curb human trafficking, and whether the provisions in the Convention would be legally binding on member states to comply with.

* Gooi Hsiao Leung is the Member of Parliament for Alor Star.

** This is the personal opinion of the writers and does not necessarily represent the view of the Malay Mail Online.