Kuala Lumpur: Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau (pic) has renewed his call for the Government to introduce a Malaysia Refugee Act to ensure refugee management is more systematic and not solely dependent on administrative directives.
The Upko honorary president said the absence of a clear law could expose refugee management to inconsistencies, mismanagement and abuse of power due to broad administrative discretion.
He said the different approaches taken in managing Vietnamese war refugees, Filipino refugees and Rohingya refugees showed the need for a consistent legal framework.
Madius said the proposed law should define refugee status, clarify jurisdiction, limit administrative discretion and establish direct accountability to Parliament.
On the proposed issuance of Refugee Registration Documents (DPP), he suggested that its implementation be based on four pillars, namely status, a clear timeline, an exit policy and accountability, stressing that the document should not become a new version of the IMM13 with no clear end point.
