Dfat Country Information Report Malaysia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DFAT COUNTRY INFORMATION REPORT MALAYSIA 29 June 2021 MAP DFAT Country Information Report MALAYSIA (JUNE 2021) 2 CONTENTS ACRONYMS 4 GLOSSARY 6 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE 8 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 9 Recent history 9 Demography 9 Economic overview 10 Political System 15 Security situation 17 3. REFUGEE CONVENTION CLAIMS 20 Race/Nationality 20 Religion 24 Political Opinion (actual or Imputed) 34 Groups of Interest 36 4. COMPLEMENTARY PROTECTION CLAIMS 52 Arbitrary Deprivation of Life 52 Death Penalty 54 Torture 54 Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 55 5. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 57 State Protection 57 Internal Relocation 62 Treatment of Returnees 62 Documentation 64 Prevalence of Fraud 66 DFAT Country Information Report MALAYSIA (JUNE 2021) 3 ACRONYMS 1MDB 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (government investment fund) ASEAN Association of South East Asian Nations AUD Australian dollar BN Barisan Nasional (English: National Front) CAT Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women CMA Communications and Multimedia Act (1998) CPED International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CRPD Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities DAP Democratic Action Party EPO Emergency Protection Order FGM Female Genital Mutilation ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICERD International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ICMW International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families IOM International Organization for Migration IPCMC Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission IRB Inland Revenue Board JAKIM National Department of Islamic Development LGBTI Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex MCA Malaysian Chinese Association MCMC Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission MCO Movement Control Order DFAT Country Information Report MALAYSIA (JUNE 2021) 4 MYR Malaysian Ringgit (currency; approximate exchange rate as of June 2021: MYR1 = AUD0.32) NGO Non-governmental organisation OSCC One Stop Crisis Centre PAA Peaceful Assembly Act PAS Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PH Pakatan Harapan (English: Coalition of Hope) PN Perikatan Nasional (English: National Alliance) POCA Prevention of Crime Act (Amendment and Extension) POTA Prevention of Terrorism Act PR Pakatan Rakyat (English: People’s Pact alliance) RELA People’s Volunteer Corps REMEDI Refugee Medical Insurance Scheme RMP Royal Malaysia Police SOSMA Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 SUARAM Suara Rakyat Malaysia, a Malaysian human rights NGO SUHAKAM Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (English: Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) UMNO United Malays National Organisation UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UPR Universal Periodic Review USD US dollar DFAT Country Information Report MALAYSIA (JUNE 2021) 5 GLOSSARY Adat Customary law Ah Long Chinese Malaysian term for unlicensed money lenders Anak Negeri Indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera Literally ‘sons of the soil’; Malaysian term to describe ethnic groups including Malay and indigenous peoples Dewan Rakyat Lower house of parliament Dewan Negara Upper house of parliament Fatwa Formal guidance/ruling issued by Islamic authorities to provide resolution when there is doubt whether a practice is permissible or forbidden in Islam Gila Crazy, used to refer in a pejorative manner to a mentally ill person Orang Asli Literally ‘original people’; Malaysian term for indigenous peoples of peninsular Malaysia Sekolah agama Islamic and religious schools rakyat Syariah Islamic law (also spelt Sharia) DFAT Country Information Report MALAYSIA (JUNE 2021) 6 Terms used in this report high risk DFAT is aware of a strong pattern of incidents moderate risk DFAT is aware of sufficient incidents to suggest a pattern of behaviour low risk DFAT is aware of incidents but has insufficient evidence to conclude they form a pattern official discrimination 1. legal or regulatory measures applying to a particular group that impede access to state protection or services that are available to other sections of the population (examples might include but are not limited to difficulties in obtaining personal registrations or identity papers, difficulties in having papers recognised, arbitrary arrest and detention) 2. behaviour by state employees towards a particular group that impedes access to state protection or services otherwise available, including by failure to implement legislative or administrative measures societal discrimination 1. behaviour by members of society (including family members, employers or service providers) that impedes access by a particular group to goods or services normally available to other sections of society (examples could include but are not limited to refusal to rent property, refusal to sell goods or services, or employment discrimination) 2. ostracism or exclusion by members of society (including family, acquaintances, employers, colleagues or service providers) DFAT Country Information Report MALAYSIA (JUNE 2021) 7 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE 1.1 This Country Information Report has been prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for protection status determination purposes only. It provides DFAT’s best judgement and assessment at time of writing and is distinct from Australian government policy with respect to Malaysia. 1.2 The report provides a general, rather than an exhaustive, country overview. It has been prepared with regard to the current caseload for decision makers in Australia without reference to individual applications for protection visas. The report does not contain policy guidance for decision makers. 1.3 Ministerial Direction Number 84 of 24 June 2019, issued under s 499 of the Migration Act (1958), states that: Where the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has prepared [a] country information assessment expressly for protection status determination purposes, and that assessment is available to the decision maker, the decision maker must take into account that assessment, where relevant, in making their decision. The decision maker is not precluded from considering other relevant information about the country. 1.4 This report is based on DFAT’s on-the-ground knowledge and discussions with a range of sources in Malaysia. It also takes into account relevant information from government and non-government sources, including but not limited to: those produced by the Malaysian government and the US Department of State; relevant UN bodies and international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization; leading human rights organisations and international non- governmental organisations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Transparency International and Freedom House; Malaysian non-governmental organisations; and reputable Malaysian and international news organisations. Where DFAT does not refer to a specific source of a report or allegation, this may be to protect the source. 1.5 This updated Country Information Report replaces the previous DFAT Country Information Report on Malaysia published on 13 December 2019. DFAT Country Information Report MALAYSIA (JUNE 2021) 8 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION RECENT HISTORY 2.1 The colony of Malaya achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. In 1963, Malaya joined together with Singapore, Sabah (formerly British North Borneo) and Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore left the Federation in August 1965. 2.2 In May 2018, Malaysia saw its first change of government since independence. Dr Mahathir Mohamad became Prime Minister following an election victory by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition over the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which had ruled the country since independence. Dr Mahathir was previously Prime Minister between 1981 and 2003 for the BN coalition. The PH coalition was relatively short-lived, ending after 21 months in February 2020 when Dr Mahathir resigned, with the Malay nationalist Bersatu party and a number of other lower house members withdrawing from the coalition. In March 2020, Muhyiddin Yassin, also of Bersatu, was installed as the country’s eighth Prime Minister, at the head of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition government. 2.3 Race has historically been a prominent issue in Malaysia, and relations between Malaysia’s diverse populations have been tense at times. On 13 May 1969, in the wake of the 1969 Malaysian general election, Sino-Malay sectarian violence broke out in the form of race riots between ethnic Malays and Chinese Malaysians (some Indian Malaysians were also involved) in Kuala Lumpur. Official figures indicate 196 deaths, although estimates vary, some as high as 600. This event led to action policies that favour ethnic Malays and indigenous groups (collectively known as Bumiputera , see Glossary) over other ethnicities in areas such as business, higher education, property ownership, government contracts and civil service jobs. Elements of these affirmative action programs continue today (see Race/Nationality). 2.4 Malaysian politics entered a relatively unstable period, with an