LETTER | Migrants and refugees should flourish in their own countries

LETTER | For the past week, I have seen news of the heart-wrenching journey of migrants from Mexico and Venezuela going through dangerous terrains to reach the United States.

The influx of thousands of migrants into New York City has strained the city’s resources.

Similar migrations have also happened in Europe in 2015 where over one million arrivals mostly refugees fleeing Syria, Tunisia and Libya.

During the journey, nearly 30,000 people died crossing the Mediterranean seas since 2014, according to the UN Migration Agency.

Migrants in Malaysia

In Malaysia, we are also facing a refugee crisis in regard to Rohingyas who were oppressed and chased away from their home country of Myanmar.

We also have millions of migrants who work in factories and hotels in Malaysia with the same objective of seeking a better life for themselves and their families since their countries are unable to provide a sustainable social-economic future.

Migrants who decide to leave are usually facing war, economic sanctions, poverty and political prosecution, in their home countries.

With the climate crisis, we would see more refugees travelling to safe areas. It would be a global norm in the future.

It is morally imperative for countries to accept legitimate migration based on international law.

The refugees should be given opportunities to work and support their families, and gradually integrated into society.

Such integration should not be seen as a demographic threat since the authentic identity of a nation resides in stretching, welcoming and sharing itself with the less privileged.

In addressing the issues of migrants and refugees which differ in terms of intentions of leaving their homelands, it is a pity that the debate and decisions among Western countries are centred around whether to welcome or reject refugees in their countries and to what degree.

There is a tendency to focus on the foreground instead of the background of the crisis.

The question is, why are migrants and refugees leaving the home countries they love and taking an enormous life risk to reach the more advanced countries?

Is it not because of the global policies and actions of the rich nations over the decades?

Is it not the proxy war initiated in Syria by the West and the regime change in Libya supported by the West that triggered such an exodus among the people?

Is it not the weapon of economic sanctions used by countries like the United States and Europe on regimes that they don’t favour to create social-economic hardships for ordinary people instead of the elites?

Better opportunities

While the intentions of migrants to leave their home countries are complex, the hegemonic policies of wealthy countries have basically created the context for desperate migration.

Unless problems of this nature are resolved, the world will continue to see the worst migration crisis that will continue to overwhelm the basic services of receiving countries.

Citizens of countries should be dissuaded from migration so that they can develop their own indigenous nation based on their collective vision, culture and beliefs.

Their homelands should progress and this should create more job opportunities and better welfare conditions.

This could only be done when there is a just, equitable global political and social economic system.

War and economic sanctions should not be the norm in dealing with geopolitical adversaries.

The world needs moral ethics, collaboration and a win-win approach to address various global challenges that cause the migration crisis.

Migrants and refugees should flourish in their own countries and this principle should be understood and proactively implemented as a policy by wealthy countries.

Mediating and resolving conflicts besides building the human capital in these poor countries should be the way forward in addressing the root cause of migration.

Unless this principle is accepted, the Mediterranean seas that point towards Europe and the borders of the United States will continuously be flooded with migrants and refugees.

Writer is the secretary of the Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.