CALLING on the military to hunt down and arrest undocumented migrants without due process is clear misuse of power, said migrant rights group Tenaganita.

Executive director Glorene A. Das said any law must be carried out in the spirit of justice and common goodness of society.

“The statement by the senior minister is an admission that immigration authorities and other enforcement agencies have been unable to secure our borders effectively, and hence the need for emergency powers.”

“Using a State of Emergency and calling on the military to hunt down undocumented migrants is a misuse of power.

“Enforcing any law, including the Immigration Act, must be carried out in the spirit of justice and bonum commune (for the common goodness of society), not oppressing and instilling fear in the oppressed, leading them to despair,” said Glorene.

On Thursday, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the army now has the power to detain and take action against anyone breaching the MCO.

He said the Emergency Ordinance provides similar authority to the police and military, which would help manage the Covid-19 crisis more effectively.

Glorene then said that the call by Ismail Sabri reiterates how broken Malaysia’s immigration system is today, and how the state continues to play a role in demonising undocumented workers.

She added that Ismail Sabri’s statement was dangerous and expressed strong xenophobic views.

“Covid-19 test results currently indicate that the number of positive cases is now higher among the local population than among migrant workers.

“Hence the minister should not try to implicitly shift the blame to migrant workers, instead of rectifying weaknesses in the current system of dealing with the pandemic.

“Such statement seems to stem from a deep rooted animosity towards foreigners and particularly towards the least in the society,” she said.

Glorene also urged the government to focus on rectifying the shortcomings in the immigration system, which were highlighted in a Public Accounts Committee report in November last year, instead of arresting undocumented workers.

“A State of Emergency is not required to implement the reforms. Together with the minister, the ministries must pay particular attention to the findings of the PAC,” she stated.

On Monday, the government announced an MCO in six states – Penang, Selangor, Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan), Malacca, Johor and Sabah – from January 13 to 26.

It also announced a CMCO in Pahang, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Terengganu, while Perlis and Sarawak, which have the fewest active Covid-19 cases currently, will remain in the recovery MCO phase.

The following day, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah accepted Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s request to declare a State of Emergency till August 1. – January 16, 2021.