KUALA LUMPUR: The government has yet to make a final decision on whether to allow refugees to work here, says Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran.

“That is the decision as it is now, ” was his response when asked by a participant at a human trafficking conference here Monday (Aug 5) whether refugees would be allowed to work legally in the country.

“We should not overlook what was mentioned in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto itself, that we should allow these refugees to be employed here, ” he said.

He added that he had advocated for this over the past 20 years as an Opposition MP.

“If you ask me personally... yes I think they should be allowed to work here, at least until they are resettled in third countries, ” he said.

This, he said, was to avoid exploitation and would allow greater enforcement of our labour laws so that they could get a minimum wage, among other things.

“There are quite a number of ministers who are already saying that they should be allowed to work. I hope it will be done soon.

“I will be the happiest man if it is done sooner rather than later, ” he added.

While refugees are not allowed to work legally, many of them work in informal sectors in so-called 3D (dangerous, dirty and difficult) jobs.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), most of them work in the horticulture, agriculture, construction, and cleaning sectors.

As of June this year, there were more than 170, 000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. The majority are adults aged 18-59 and male, and therefore of a working, taxpaying age.

Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol, and lacks a legal or administrative framework regulating the status and rights of refugees, who are considered undocumented migrants under the Immigration Act, and are at risk of arrest, detention, and deportation.

In its manifesto for the 14th General Election (GE14) in May last year, Pakatan said that it would ratify the 1951 International Convention on refugees so that refugees who escape from war-torn countries and arrive in Malaysia are given proper assistance.

“Their labour rights will be on par with locals and this initiative will reduce the country’s need for foreign workers and lower the risk of refugees from becoming involved in criminal activities and underground economies.

“Providing them with jobs will help refugees build new lives, without subjecting them to oppression, ” Pakatan had said at the time.