(Illegal) Immigrants*

Are all illegal immigrants in Malaysia - thieves? robbers? rapists? If you said yes, here's my question to you: Have you met every illegal immigrant there is in this country? What are the statistics of these illegal immigrants committing crime? Does statistics show that there are more illegal immigrants than MalaysianS who commit crime - or is it the other way around?

What makes an immigrant legal and the other illegal? Isn't it just a matter of having documentation? So it's an administrative matter - therefore why is it a crime for being undocumented? Is whipping - as a punishment necessary? Would anyone in their right mind prefer to live undocumented and in fear?

Is it a crime to preserve one's life? Is it a crime to runaway from impending death in one's home country? Would anyone choose to live in a foreign land far away from their loved ones? Why can't refugees be allowed to take asylum in Malaysia? Would this act of mercy cause a sudden surge in our population and necessarily affect our economic/societal development in a negative manner? Or would this act of mercy help us resolve our need for foreign labor, as a developing nation?

We are all migrants, save for the indigenous of Malaysia. Jesus himself was a migrant and a refugee too. He was cradled by his parents and forced to flee to Egypt for fear of Herod who had issued orders to kill every child below two years and younger (Matthew 2:13-18). Had the Egyptians deported the Holy Family, Jesus would have been killed before His time and the world would have lost their Savior.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MIGRANTS IN MALAYSIA, VISIT:
TENAGANITA (http://tenaganita.disagrees.net/info/)

*I would like to thank Miss Irene Fernandez for inspiring me to write this post

Photo credit: "03.jpg" - picture of a "stateless child" by fotowarung