GEORGE TOWN – The fight to contain Covid-19 has been aggravated by suspicions that Malaysia houses up to five million undocumented migrants, said Klang MP Charles Santiago.
He said that they are not willing to be tested and mostly live in an underground setting, afraid to expose their immigration status.
“They are trying to hide when we are trying to fight an infectious virus. It is a big problem,” he said in response to reports that most of the recent Covid-19 clusters are foreigners.
“It has created a situation in which Malaysia will face difficulty in containing the pandemic, especially if the (migrant) workers are asymptomatic and they continue to work illegally.
“Even if vaccines are available, it would be difficult to bring down the number of infections if (undocumented migrants) continue to co-exist with their documented counterparts and Malaysians.”
The government previously said there are up to 1.5 million legalised workers in Malaysia, but another five million are believed to be undocumented.
In addition, Malaysia has pockets of Rohingya communities who are not allowed to work.
Based on his checks with Covid-19 testers and doctors, most foreign workers who tested positive did not know they were carriers, said Charles.
To overcome this, he has suggested that the Home Ministry invoke a six-month amnesty period for the illegals to convince them to step forward to be tested.
“We should inform such workers and their employers that no immigration action would be taken against them, but they must cooperate with the health authorities, especially if they test positive for Covid-19.”
He has likened the situation to a possible national crisis, and this complicates good governance, as the country is already reeling from a public health crisis, economic downturn, and political uncertainty.
Malaysian Medical Association president Prof Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam supports the move to invoke an amnesty for undocumented workers, saying that it is the right move in a bid to cut the transmission rate of the virus.
Subramaniam said doctors are taught to treat all patients fairly, so foreigners who have Covid-19 symptoms should not hide even if they are undocumented.
“We, as doctors, just treat the sick. It is not up to us to expose our patients. But the problem of undocumented workers is a big issue that needs a holistic approach.” – The Vibes, January 5, 2021
