LETTER | Put aside emotional justifications for a moment. Park your human rights positions for a while too. Let us rationally review the potential implosion of mass unemployment among migrant workers in Malaysia.

As the Covid-19 leaves a trail of economic disasters, no one can for certain confidently establish the total loss. No one can say for sure when we can all come out of this unprecedented crisis that has not spared any nation worldwide.

In the meantime, even just days following the declaration of the movement control order (MCO), there was already news of Malaysians losing their jobs.

Today many business pages report of news of companies and industries - small and big, facing insurmountable challenges in keeping people on the payroll.

Pay cuts are beginning to be part of this new normal already.

Those on probation are told the sad news of termination of employment.

Recruitment is in a deep freeze.

Given this scenario, you cannot hide the fact that millions of documented and illegal plus refuge status migrants in the country would also or are already facing job loses.

In such circumstances, what would the moral and ethical priority of any democratic nation be?

If Malaysia wants to avoid a potential socio-economic and political chaos, the government needs to take a stand now and not drag its feet with a wait-and-see stance.

Providing jobs for Malaysians is a foregone, top imperative.

Feeding citizens first is a national obligation that cannot be sidelined or put on the queue. However, sending back undocumented/illegal foreign workers is an impossible task if not a nightmare.

How can you provide the transport for millions of such migrant workers when the air and sea traffic is at a critically restricted schedule?

With the government strapped for funds where is the money going to come from?

And the countries where the migrants originated from are also under the mercy of the Covid-19. And their health care system may not be able to manage the influx.

Next, you have the problem of housing, feeding and caring for the millions of documented and undocumented foreign workers including the tens of thousands who claim refugee status.

Does the government of Malaysia have huge reserves - financially and in terms of manpower and food supplies, to be able to meet the basic human rights standards in keeping and caring for the millions of unemployed foreign workers (legal and illegal) and the refugees?

The truth is, we do not have the money and the resources and capability to house, care for and create jobs for the looming foreign migrant workers and refugee implosion.

We are losing time. We are wading into unchartered waters.

The greed that drove the dependency on foreign migrant workers; the prevalent corruption; the poor enforcement and vigilance - all of these compromised policies and vigilance over the years of good times now saddles the government with an explosive threat in these times of grave concerns and desperate measures.

The sooner the government decides how and what it needs to do the better for all.

As Malaysians start losing jobs and businesses go under, the presence of foreign workers and refugees in the country may be the last straw to break this country.

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

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