Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

SCIENCE, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin rightly said trust is very essential in the effort to get documented and undocumented foreign nationals to come forward for the Covid-19 immunisation programme that is now being carried out.

That is why Khairy, who is assigned to take charge of the vaccination project, gave the assurance migrants and refugees will not be arrested when they show up for the vaccination exercise, which is part of the larger scheme to break the chain of infections in the country.

To boost the foreign nationals’ confidence, he said the government will work with various groups, including civil society groups, employers and foreign missions, to encourage migrant participation.

Indeed, trust in an institution is crucial for many of us especially in a time that is filled with uncertainties, anxieties and flickering hope for a better tomorrow.

For most foreigners, particularly those who are undocumented, trust is essential when dealing with a host government operating in a political environment that is seen, rightly or wrongly, to be hostile towards them.

It is therefore crucial for the Malaysian government to display its ability and commitment to keep its promises on certain matters pertaining to migrants as this would go a long way towards winning over the trust of the foreign nationals in its concerted endeavour to get them to be vaccinated.

But whatever trust the migrants have in the system may have been dented when the Immigration Department recently deported 1,086 Myanmar nationals back to their homeland, reportedly in defiance of a high court order to halt the deportation.

It was initially hoped the anxiety and fear of the Myanmar nationals, particularly the vulnerable, about their personal safety on their return to a country that is riddled with unrest arising from a military coup, could be examined in court before a final decision was made to deport them.

They were sent packing regardless – to the waiting Myanmar military vessels docked in Lumut.

Another instance, the mass raids by the Immigration Department last May in locked-down areas in Kuala Lumpur, still rankles the migrants – which may dilute trust and confidence. The raids resulted in the arrests of hundreds of undocumented migrants.

This is apart from the fear and suspicion among the migrants that are stoked by the xenophobia harboured and exhibited by some Malaysians, many of whom have prospered in various ways on the backs of these migrant workers.

In a sense, the xenophobia of Malaysians in general resonates with the stern stand taken by the authorities in such situations towards the very group that has become an essential component of our nation building over the years, particularly in the construction, plantation and informal sectors.

To reiterate, it is vital for the Malaysian government to win over the trust of these migrants, many of whom have to face the many challenges that have been brought about by the pandemic. Their desperation in life will only be aggravated by a constant haunt of fear and suspicion.

In other words, a “hostile environment” may compel some to “go underground”.

A failure to execute fully an immunisation exercise on a scale that covers the entire migrant communities may pose a health threat of immense proportions. We have to bear in mind that the number of migrants in Malaysia ranges from three million up to 5.5 million, which include both documented and undocumented workers.

Trust of the migrants in the government’s promise of no arrest is as crucial as the government’s goal to vaccinate the foreign nationals. – February 26, 2021.