Madius cadang kerajaan gubal akta pelarian

Parliamentarian Madius Tangau has argued that the country's handling of refugees is too reliant on the discretion of government officials, leading to inconsistency and potential political manipulation. In a speech to the Dewan Rakyat, Tangau said Malaysia should have its own refugee law to set clear principles, management timelines, pathways, and accountability. He criticized the current reliance on broad administrative discretion, claiming it risks causing fragmentation, politicized decision-making, and abuse of power.

Tangau questioned why Malaysia does not want its own Malaysian refugee law if it wants to manage the issue domestically. Without a clear law, he argued, too much power is left to administrative discretion, which could increase the risk of fragmentation, politicized decision-making, and abuse of authority. He urged the government to learn from past experiences before deciding the future of the Refugee Registration Document (DPP).

He pointed to the Vietnam refugee experience, noting that 240,000 Vietnamese refugees have been resettled abroad since 1975, while about 9,000 have returned home.

Turning to the Filipino refugee issue in Sabah, Tangau said it has been ongoing for over 50 years, involving documentation and intergenerational issues. He warned that indefinite "temporary" status can become a problem for three generations. Therefore, the DPP should not become the IMM13 document, which was issued to Filipino irregular migrants in Sabah in the 1970s during a period of political crisis in the southern Philippines.

Tangau said the new approach through the DPP, including registration by the government, biometric data, and determination of refugee status, should be accompanied by clear answers about what happens after someone obtains the document. He argued that the government should also explain the criteria used to manage each group of refugees to prevent the nation's approach to the issue from being seen as ad-hoc and applying different standards to different crises.