COMMENT | Blamed, defamed, deported: Media attacks on migrants in M'sia

COMMENT | As Covid-19 swept through Malaysia, xenophobic comments in the mainstream press defended and amplified the harsh government treatment of undocumented workers.

Migrant workers face health, social and economic challenges, even at the best of times. During the pandemic, the plight of undocumented workers in Malaysia grew desperate as they struggled with job loss and inadequate access to healthcare.

Hate speech on social media intended to humiliate and blame the community became more prevalent, and these xenophobic messages were repeated in the mainstream media.

In July 2020 Al Jazeera aired a documentary called “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”, which focused on the hardships endured by migrant workers during the first MCO implementation.

The documentary highlighted that many migrant workers were left stranded in their dilapidated and...