I stopped the car at the end of a broken, unpaved, rutted road with tall grass growing in the middle. They unloaded the car. We had brought rice, eggs, baked beans, cooking oil, biscuits, milk powder for mothers and for infants. Also some clothes. All the stuff we brought was placed in the kitchen.
We sat on the floor of the living room, the fan above circulating the air around us, the clean, veneered “timber” flooring cool on my bare feet. On the walls were posters depicting Christian scenes – the Christ, the Last Supper, etc. and some Bible verses. There was also a poster of Ang San Su Kyi. There was a guitar and a hymn book.
The three of us from KL sat opposite them. They were made up of adult men and women, children and infants. The conversation was about their lives since the last time a couple of us had visited them. The subjects were security and health. Two teenage boys in the neighbourhood have been troubling our friends from Myanmar.
These boys attack the foreigners if they are out alone. They even break into their homes and steal. Losses include bicycles and a television set. The Myanmar folks collected a sum of money per head and went to the local RELA chief. He arranged security for a time, but it ended. The unspoken fact was that the money came to an end.
The father of one of the boys was spoken to. The father apologized for his son’s behaviour, but lamented that he could do nothing. The refugees are at their wits end. They want to live in peace with their neighbours. They just want to make a living and wait in safety until the UNHCR relocates them.
Three of the men are in ill health. They have crippling pains. They went to see a doctor at a nearby clinic. They had X-rays and were given some medication. The drugs gave some help, but have been consumed. They are not planning to go back to see the doctor. The unspoken fact is that the money came to an end.
They are not complainers. They ask for nothing. They just answer our questions honestly. They are thankful for our gifts and our visits. They realize they are in Malaysia illegally and we are taking a risk by associating with them. They are grateful.
We sit there struggling to understand them. They have had so many babies since coming here. Why? We know their school-age children receive no formal education. The mothers would like to have jobs, but they do not. They spend their time in one of several rented homes. They look after the children and keep the homes spotlessly clean.
The men are grateful for work. All of them have some kind of work. Some have daytime jobs in small workshops or factories. Others have jobs at night markets, doing menial work. The people help each other, they seem generally healthy. There are signs of sadness, but there are also signs of happiness. Smiles seem genuine.
What are three of us from KL doing here? We are asking them questions, trying to understand their needs. We don’t know how to help them; deep within we grieve because of our inability. We hope to do something for them. We record the answers, we talk to each other to see if we have some ideas on how to help. We feel dejected. All we can think of is which individuals in our network to approach.
Why are we here? We believe all men and women, regardless of nationality, race or status, are made in the image of God. We believe these are our neighbours, brought here by God. We remember the parable of the Good Samaritan which our Lord Jesus told. The “religious people” crossed the road and left the helpless man alone. The Samaritan, the man who did not belong to the “approved religion,” did what God approves of. He responded to the need of a fellow human being.
We re-enact our Lord’s Last Supper. We share the bread and the wine. We pray.
We know it’s a difficult situation. These people fled their own country in order to seek a better life. They are seeking a share in our economy. They don’t pay taxes, they are not citizens. They are needy, but they are willing to work. Our government prefers to bring in foreign workers from Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh and Cambodia. Why not allow these folks from Myanmar to work here?
The Micah Mandate is a Christian-based public interest advocacy ministry that seeks a transformation of our nation through justice, mercy and humility.
