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Mehlah aku cerita pasal how to manage Rohingya based on what I have seen in other countries.
So I was working with a UK based NGO overseeing south east asia and south asia up until march this year.
Specifically I was in charge of operations in both Indonesia and Nepal dan dalam task ada focus on refugees as well.
So it is my responsibility to actually go to the respective countries and conduct a needs assessment and address the problem of the refugees
This is new to me and I had to study their behaviour before venturing out to assist them. And then aku start pergi for trips abroad
Kenapa abroad and bukan dekat Malaysia? Mainly sebab banyak kekangan nak tolong orang Rohingya here. Esp when it comes to livelihood.
In Malaysia these people are considered stateless. They aren't refugees according to Malaysian law. So mmg tak boleh buat apa.
Many would think anak dieorg boleh dapat kerakyatan bila lahir sini? Hell no. Nak guna hospital pun kena bayar. Kalau tak beranak tepi jalan
My first trip was to Langsa, Acheh. 5 hours drive daripada Medan. Tempat ni mmg mula2 ramai org Rohingya sbb ni tempat pertama dieorg smpai
Dekat sana mmg ada tempat tinggal org Rohingya. The govt is working with NGO to construct settlements for them.
Dekat sini aku boleh nampak kerajaan Acheh, walaupun dia lindung org Rohingya tapi dia juga systematically control them. Why control?
Sebab Acheh is just a transit station for them. Semua Rohigya refugees are registered with UNHCR and awaiting relocation to other countries.
So mmg ada tempat tinggal dibuat hasil sumbangan NGO. Ada sekolah and basic facilities. Ada activities to assimilate them with the locals.
Once or twice a month mmg ada meeting dgn penduduk setempat. For them to exchange opinions to help the refugees.
The best thing is. Kerajaan tempatan Acheh will control apa yang NGO buat. They will coordinate. So tak ada redundancy in the aid delivery.
For example. Some NGO will construct houses. Ada NGO lain buat clinic and contribute doctors. Some will donate medications and etc.
And if an NGO taknak ikut regulations they will be chased out of Acheh and their help isn't needed. So nak taknak kena ikut local govt.
I completed my needs assessment and decided to go on with livelihood for the Rohingya community and it was a success.
We did duck rearing for the community. Spent around RM50k for the whole project. Buat sangkar and beli itik for initial kick start.
But the catch is. The money earned has to go back into the community and bukan dapat dekat group yang jaga tu.
Of course to do this you need trusted locals yang boleh oversee the project and I have friends there who did this during that time.
Everything worked out and sekarang aku rasa tinggal 300 orang Rohingya je dekat sana waiting to be resettled and they are surviving there.
This is something that I think Malaysian government should look into. Instead of taking them in and lepas tangan.
Instead of letting them live entah keadaan macam mana dekat area Selayang. There should be a place with supervision dekat Malaysia.
Since negara kita tak acknowledge the refugee status and they are here in transit before getting resettled by UNHCR.
Selesai dekat Acheh, tak lama lepas tu I got a phone call from UK telling me that I'll be the country representative for the NGO in Nepal.
The situation in Nepal tak banyak beza dgn dekat sini. Cuma dekat sana NGOs mmg work closely with UNHCR to make refugees life better.
According to the law, specifically Malaysian and Nepali. They aren't allowed to work sbb they are stateless and tak boleh mohon permit.
Sebenarnya it is illogical to deprive people from their rights to make a living without providing another solution.
So in Nepal, my organisation provided them with food ration for the month of ramadhan at the same time finding ways for them to work.
Aku akui orang Rohingya mmg ada attitude problem. Susah nak dengar instruction and they are mostly illiterate.
Sbb that's how their life is in Rakhine state. They are mostly farmers. Probably the country's policy tak emphasise that much on education.
So it is hard to negotiate with them. Dekat sana aku buat a few focused group discussion to assess their level of skill for employment.
Tapi all they can ask for is "citizenship". Dieorg nak mintak kerakyatan atas alasan senang nak kerja and sewa rumah and etc.
Of course this is impossible and it is against the country's policy to do this. Mana boleh senang-senang bagi kerakyatan.
It is illegal to help refugees in that country sebenarnya. Kalau the govt tau, mmg masalah. I can get jailed and stuff. lol
But yeah anyway I failed to help them out of their stubbornness and lack of cooperation. And sekarang aku tak tau apa nasib dieorg kat sana.
Some of them discreetly work as labour, construction worker, tailor. Mostly dekat Nepal dieorg tak kena kacau.
But if they are caught, they'll be imprisoned for an indefinite time. And pada aku solution dekat Acheh is the best answer.
Get a piece of land for them to temporarily settle and get NGOs to help them with livelihood. Money goes back to community.
When we do this, we'll help them realise tht this is a temporary solution until UNHCR can get them resettled to one of 37 countries.
Bila kita biar dieorg tinggal merata, with their stateless status, it is hard to supervise and keep track of what they are doing.
Sebab kita rasa they wont be here permanently so it is always good to treat the situation like so. Kalau tak it will create more problems.
Here are some pictures the livelihood programme I did in Acheh.
And here are some photos I took during my visit to one of two Rohingya settlements in Nepal
Call them stupid, disorganised, dense. Panggil lah apa kau nak. That wont change them. Benda tu dah hardwired dalam kepala the adults.
If you wanna help. Help the adults to help the children. That is the future.
Sebab kalau tak tolong anak-anak rohingya ni, dieorg yang akan contribute to crime rate and etc in our country.
And it is ironic bila orang Malaysia kecam Arab Saudi and negara jiran lain tak buat apa bila Palestine kena serang. Now kita buat pulak?
I just feel the need to add on to this thread on how you guys can help persuade politicians to take actions. But this will take time.
At your respective constituents you are represented by a Member of Parliament. They are suppose to fight for your rights and etc.
The most you can do in dealing with them is call up their offices, special officers and etc and ask them about this problem.
Share your concerns with them. I believe if there are enough of us doing this, things might change in due time.
Highlight the humanitarian aspect of the issue and the impending problem it will cause us if it is not handled appropriately.
