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  • Essay / Malaysia's Dilemma on the Rohingya Issue

    Table of ContentsIntroductionWho are the Rohingya?The situation in MyanmarFleeing Myanmar: The Boat Journey to MalaysiaImpact on MalaysiaPoliticsSecurityFighting the CIVID-19 Pandemic CrisisMalaysia's Solution to coping with the Rohingya crisisConclusionIntroductionMalaysia's strategic geographic position and economic position are strong and fast Growing growth makes Malaysia an ideal destination for human trafficking and migrant smuggling. It is for this reason that many foreigners migrate to Malaysia in search of halal livelihoods and a better life. Some of them have chosen to enter Malaysia legally through gates published in the Official Gazette, but others also choose to pawn their lives by taking the path of the rat, i.e. entry which is not published, either by road through the Malaysia-Thailand, Sabah and Sarawak border with Kalimantan, or by road. boat for example from Indonesia across the Strait of Malacca using either a syndicate or privately which is usually done through a syndicate. The largest population of smugglers entering Malaysia is from the Rohingya ethnic group. The Rohingya fled to seek refuge and a better life due to the Myanmar government's internal crisis deemed inhumane and injustices against them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayIn the era of globalization, various humanitarian problems have appeared like mushrooms growing after rain around us. In fact, the Southeast Asian region itself is no exception as it is also haunted by the issue of the massacre of the Rohingya ethnic minority, which has worsened in recent times. This ethnic issue deserves special attention because it has become an international issue. The Rohingya problem has become very serious as it involves clashes between the two religions and ethnic genocide. The so far unresolved Rohingya crisis has deliberately delayed resolution efforts, perhaps because it involved Muslims who have had a right to their homeland since their arrival. have been born in this world for centuries. It is undeniable that these are indigenous peoples such as the Bamar, Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Mon, Arakanese, Shan and various other ethnic groups from non-Muslim backgrounds. However, the illegal and unsupported arrival of the Rohingya has many effects and dilemmas on Malaysia, including politics, economics, national security and the health of Malaysians, especially regarding the global epidemic pandemic. of Covid-19. Who are the Rohingya? Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia, close to another neighboring country such as Thailand, Bangladesh and India. According to history, it is also known as Burma. There are many ethnic groups in this country, including the Rohingya who are Muslim, but the most important religion in Myanmar is Buddhism. Since 1848, Myanmar has achieved independence. The nation was ruled by the military from 1962 to 2011, then was taken over by a new government in a return to democratic rule until its current government for almost a decade. On June 18, 1989, the Constitutional Council of Myanmar's ruling military changed the country's name from Burma to Myanmar. Basically, these two words mean exactly the same thing, however Myanmar is the most official version in relation to Burma. At first, controversially, some countries refusedto use this name to oppose the legitimacy of the regime. On the other hand, the use of the term "Myanmar" has become more prevalent over time, also in 2016, Ms. Suu Kyi, current State Counselor of Myanmar, explained that the name used was not the problem because the two titles look like the same nation. Historically, the Rohingya are believed to have existed in the early 7th century and were the first populations of Rakhine State (formerly called Arakan) in Myanmar, a place where migrant workers from Arab, Indian and Bangladeshi traders settled. The Rohingyas are therefore also of Persian, Arab and Pashtun origin. The word Rohingya itself comes from the Arabic word Rahma which means “mercy”. For this reason, this type of migration was also expressed as internal migration since Burma was administered by the British as a province of India, as stated by Human Rights Watch (HRW). Therefore, they have exactly the same physical, cultural and linguistic types as South Asians, especially Bengalis. Additionally, the languages ​​they speak are Burmese and Rohingya. Throughout 2012, the Rohingya population reached nearly 800,000 people living in western Myanmar. treat and recognize the Rohingya as a people. This explains why the Myanmar government has been recklessly eliminating and killing the Rohingyas mercilessly due to religious differences since 2014. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the Rohingyas are one of, if not the most discriminated people on the planet, and that the Rohingya are one of the many cultural peoples of Myanmar. minorities. In truth, it was since the 1970s that the Rohingya began migrating as unwanted refugees to all countries in the region in an attempt to escape the drug-induced brutality of militants. However, what happened in recent years is that thousands of Rohingya refugees fled Myanmar and migrated to a neighboring country, especially a Muslim nation, including our nation Malaysia. In Bangladesh, more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees have entered to escape what the United Nations has called genocidal violence that follows decades of persecution and human rights abuses. Fleeing Myanmar: the boat trip to MalaysiaAccording to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Rohingya have been victims of rape, violence and riots at the hands of the Myanmar authorities. So, due to their dire situation, they migrated to other neighboring countries to find a safe place and a better life with their families. The Rohingya began settling in Malaysia in 2016, where smugglers were fleeing from Thailand to Malaysia by boat as Thailand imposed the laws implicating the illegal smuggling syndicate. In addition to these motivations, Rohingya choose to fly to Malaysia for religious reasons. As Muslims, they believe that the Malaysian government and Malaysians are more friendly and caring. Support for the Rohingya has been a long-standing element of Malaysia's international Muslim solidarity agenda in Malaysia's foreign policy. Initially, in 2016, the Malaysian Prime Minister, during this period of governance, had defended the Rohingya refugee as a representative of Malaysia in one way or the other. protest against the response and actions of the ASEAN Convention of Non-Interference in the Internal Affairs of Member States and condemned the leader of Myanmar for lacking humanity and insulting Islam. According to a report published by The Diplomat, Prime Minister Najib Razak exclaimed that he would not turn a blind eye or mouth and said Malaysia must defendthe Rohingyas not only because they are of the same religion, but because they are humans. their lives have value. For Rohingya fleeing Myanmar, Malaysia appears to be the standard bearer of hope. The increase in the number of Rohingya refugees registered as persons of concern to the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) in Malaysia shows that the battle is deepening, weighing on and threatening the stability of this country. There are also a significant number of Rohingya currently in Malaysia without documents. As the number of Rohingya refugees continues to increase over the years in Malaysia, their current situation threatens this country in many ways, including social, national security and economic aspects. As national resources are strained due to the coronavirus pandemic and financial crisis, xenophobia is also on the rise. During the 36th ASEAN Summit in 2020, current Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin stated that Malaysia could no longer accept Rohingya refugees outside of Myanmar. Currently, Malaysia hosts the largest number of Rohingya refugees in ASEAN and the fourth largest in the world. Apart from the views of this government, the views of Malaysian men and women should also be at the forefront in this regard because it is about the welfare and peace of the people and the country and the future of the next generation. The growing number of Rohingya refugees coming to Malaysia had triggered a divided Malaysian outlook. A group government must enable these refugees to receive basic necessities such as food, drinks and medicine. However, another group strongly protested and said the government should send the Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar. Indeed, Malaysia was incapable of handling foreigners, especially Malaysia was in disaster to overcome the ever-worsening COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia, said Malaysia's demands to support Rohingya rights are shocking as they push desperate refugees back to sea. Malaysian navy firmly stopped 2 boats with around 200 refugees Rohingyas off Malaysian waters and prevented the ship from entering Malaysian waters, regardless of what would happen to the refugees.Impact on MalaysiaPoliticsUnfortunately, these issues of violence and genocide did not only occur in Myanmar. The impact on their own country, however, also dealt a blow to Malaysia's economy, society, education and politics. The first effect that occurs regarding the political system in Malaysia is that the Malaysian government's relationship with ASEAN countries will become stronger and closer. Indeed, during the issue of violence and elimination of the Rohingya ethnic group in Myanmar, the Malaysian government will regularly participate in conferences among ASEAN countries to discuss all proposals to resolve the problem and prevent this problem from persisting. This is to protect the Rohingya, to defend the humanitarian position taken for granted by Myanmar and to prevent it from continuing to have a harmful effect on neighboring countries which accept the arrival of these refugees. The second effect is that the political system and the laws imposed on foreigners will change. Indeed, in Malaysia, there has been an influx of refugees of Rohingya origin in addition to the influx of foreign immigrants from other countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh and others. The Rohingya community considers Malaysia a safe place where they can seek refuge, shelter, sources of food andsecurity to continue living. These refugees will use the HNUDH refugee card to live in Malaysia. With this UNHCR refugee card, they are allowed to work in the country and employers have taken advantage of this opportunity to grab them because the cost of salaries for foreigners is cheaper than that of locals. However, media reports also report that most Rohingya refugees in Malaysia are more likely to beg on the streets than work in the gig sector. Furthermore, through this problem, there will also be bad relations between the two religions of Islam and Buddhism. This will affect the political system in Malaysia because the population of Malaysia is predominantly Muslim and followed by Buddhism. The atrocities committed by Buddhists in Myanmar risk giving a negative impression to Muslims in Malaysia. It is not impossible if the fighting and disputes between the Malays and Chinese have caused religious differences.SecurityIn addition, because some Rohingya refugees do not have legal papers, some of them are trafficked and involved in criminal activities. What is even more disturbing is that they are involved in drug trafficking, robberies, assaults and gangster activities. This is an extremely worrying issue as it can threaten the security of Malaysians. Malaysia's image has been tarnished due to the irresponsible actions of some human trafficking actors. The presence of illegal immigrants must be blocked in any way possible, in collaboration with the police, immigration and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Human trafficking must be stopped immediately through comprehensive and effective strategies and approaches. Based on the UNTOC protocol, “the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Particularly Women and Children; the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition", Malaysia faces a critical dilemma when the Malaysia has been identified as a transit country in human trafficking crimes involving Rohingya refugees. This is because Malaysia's geographical factors are exposed and open, providing opportunities for smugglers to bring Rohingya refugees to Malaysia. For the record, from 2015 to 2018, a total of 558 cases of human trafficking were investigated by the PDRM and 70% of these cases are believed to involve trafficking of Rohingyas. discovery of a large grave of Rohingya refugees in the jungle of Wang Kelian Perlis, first reported by the Malay Mail on May 27, 2015. Additionally, revenge criminal activities are among the criminal acts often committed by this group. ethnicity. Although there are no official statistics on the number of crimes committed by Rohingya refugees in the country, in terms of threats to national security, there is no specific data on the criminal record of the Rohingya ethnic group . Crimes committed by foreign nationals according to country of origin and not according to ethnicity.Fighting the CIVID-19 pandemic crisisOn January 25, 2021, one year had passed, Malaysia was hit by Typhoon Covid- 19. THE Covid-19 pandemic is affecting Malaysia in several ways. But the country's biggest crisis has been the Rohingya crisis. Xenophobia can be observed by understanding key issues at the height of the pandemic. The people of the Ministry of Health (MOH) remained committed and worked tirelessly in the fight against the deadly pandemic. Since the first wave of COVID-19, national borders have been closelycontrolled by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Malaysians coming from overseas have also been required to undergo quarantine at several quarantine centers that have been set up so far across the country. To prevent the spread of COVID-19 from worsening, the MCO has strengthened its enforcement measures in identified areas. as a significant risk. Fantastic collaboration has been provided by Malaysians to the government and authorities to reduce the infection rate. According to a statement issued by Astro Awani during a press release on April 23, 2020, Malaysia's Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had repeatedly mentioned during his daily press conference that the government had to close the border gates to stop the spread of the virus. COVID-19 nationwide. The statement makes it clear that authorities must also close all rat routes that allow foreigners from abroad to illegally enter Malaysia, such as Rohingya migrants, in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. In March 2020, Malaysia was shocked by the illegal presence of Rohingya refugees in Malaysian waters in Langkawi. Initially, daily news reports of rising death and infection rates increased insecurity, particularly due to the prevalence of cases coming from abroad. Anxiety has increased due to more than 1,000 "positive" cases from the mass gathering in Seri Petaling district, which had links to the Selayang wholesale market where the Rohingya community is known to work. This location was declared an "extension" of the largest reported cluster, developed from the mass gathering two months ago, attended by 2,000 members of the Rohingya community. Members were present. It was a real dilemma plaguing Malaysia regarding the Rohingya issue. They were difficult to locate and the refusal to cooperate with authorities suggested that they did not have the required documentation and that Rohingya refugees with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards are available in this community . unregistered Rohingya community who demanded the right to claim responsibility for the outbreak, which eventually became the starting point for netizens' complaints. The squeaky wheel collects the grease. Limited medical equipment in the country has led to controversy regarding the treatment of illegal immigrants and citizens. The government distributes hundreds of millions of ringgit to many hospitals, but it is not enough. Priority must be given. This will explain why xenophobia could be perceived by understanding the crucial issues at the height of the epidemic. Rohingya migrants visiting Malaysia on these dilapidated boats may not only be sick with COVID-19, but with various other types of dangerous and infectious diseases. This could have a detrimental influence on the nation and its citizens. Malaysia has done its part in providing protection to existing Rohingya asylum seekers over time. But the problem has now changed. It is time for the authorities to stand firm. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Although Malaysia is not a member of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Malaysia has been a very generous country in promoting peace internationally. Malaysia often hosts Rohingya migrants who have been oppressed and deprived of their citizenship by the Myanmar government for years. At a time when the world is turning away, Malaysia has taken the responsibility to ensure the protection of these Rohingya asylum seekers. However, the.