THE cabinet will discuss whether to include amnesty as part of the immunisation drive for undocumented migrants soon, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said he has discussed this issue with United Nations agencies and the World Health Organisation.

“They have suggested some parameters for the implementation of the programme, especially for undocumented migrants,” he said at a weekly press conference on the vaccination programme today.

“I’ll be having a session with the Home Ministry very soon to discuss this exact issue and I will announce once we have an agreement in the cabinet whether amnesty is part of it or not and what the implementation strategy will be.

The co-ordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme said engagements are also underway with local civil society groups.

“I’ve given the assurance that the principle will be that we give it to undocumented migrants without them being afraid of being detained or deported,” he said.

The Pakatan Harapan Covid-19 vaccine committee recently urged Putrajaya to offer undocumented migrants amnesty to encourage them to come forward for Covid-19 vaccination.

It said a clear policy of amnesty is required to inspire trust among this group of migrants.

It will help to allay fears and suspicions rooted in last year’s arrests of illegal immigrants after the government had promised not to take such action if they volunteered for tests, the committee said in a statement today.

There are some 1.2 million to four million (unofficial estimates) undocumented migrants in Malaysia.

That is why in order to achieve 70% herd immunity quickly, we must build trust among the migrant community, including those who are undocumented, to get them to come out to get the vaccine without fear of punishment or repatriation, the statement said.

It said this was because the government’s previous actions had sparked distrust among the group.

The population will not achieve herd immunity and the virus will continue to spread unless this group of people are also vaccinated, it added. – March 15, 2021.