Najib Razak Controversy: Malaysian PM Who Was Criticized For Participating In The Demonstration Of Defending Rohingya

JAKARTA - The Myanmar government's genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group shocked the whole world. It seems that the Rohingya ethnicity is deliberately not allowed to live in peace. This condition made the world condemn Myanmar. The Malaysian people did not remain silent.

They also demanded that the neighboring state government pressure Myanmar to take responsibility. Miraculously, Najib Razak participated in the demonstration to defend the Rohingya. Instead of inviting sympathy, the action of the Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) drew laughter and criticism.

There has never been a place for ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar. This condition has been going on since Myanmar's independence in 1948. The Rohingya ethnicity is considered not part of the Burmese natives.

Religion and facial patterns are considered very different. This condition makes the Rohingya ethnic people who have settled in Arakan, Rakhine often get discriminated against. The poor treatment is increasingly seen from the Myanmar government officially declaring Rohingya as non-national in 1982.

This means that the Rohingya ethnicity is not considered to be one of the official ethnic groups in Myanmar. Justice never sided with the Rohingya ethnicity. Most of them live in terror. This condition angered all Rohingya people.

They began to think about leaving Myanmar in 2013. They began making the option of escaping to Southeast Asian countries rather than living in refugee camps in Bangladesh: Cox's Bazar and Kutupalong. Countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia are often used as destinations.

The condition of the two countries inhabited by the majority of Muslims is the reason. However, the Myanmar government did not stop. The Myanmar government began to consider the Rakhine area, which incidentally lives in the Rohingya ethnicity, as an area of rebel groups in 2016.

Instead of beating insurgent groups, the Myanmar government is actually targeting and killing ethnic Rohingya. The genocide was condemned by many parties.

For refugees from Myanmar who have reached Malaysia, their lives may be better than the marginalization and persecution they experienced. But even here, poverty and marginalization threaten the loss of their voices in determining their own future.

Rohingya migrant ships that landed in Malaysia were in a state of despair and fatigue last month joined about 75 thousand Rohingya people who traveled to Malaysia. Judging from the difficulties faced by their predecessors, it will be difficult for this latest wave of refugees to gain a safe foothold or achieve a decent life back elsewhere, "said Chris Buckley in his writing on The New York Times page entitledEven in Safety of Malaysia, Rohingya Migrants Face Bleak Prospects (2015).

Myanmar's action was condemned by many countries. Solidarity for the Rohingya emerged from everywhere. Delivery of aid to refugee camps in Bangladesh is unforgettable. This condition makes the people of the world, especially Malaysia, ask their country to take part in encouraging Myanmar to take responsibility.

The Malaysian people consider the Myanmar conflict and the Rohingya ethnicity to be not underestimated. The conflict is considered to threaten world peace. This condition made the Malaysian people take action to the streets as part of solidarity for the Rohingya.

The action caught Najib Razak's attention. The Malaysian PM from the 2009-2018 era believes that solidarity demonstrations for Rohingya are positive. Even though Najib himself has been fed up with demonstrations so far in Malaysia.

Najib also decided to participate in the demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on December 4, 2016. He saw the Rohingya genocide as a form of torture against Islam. He asked the United Nations to immediately take a stand to sanction Myanmar.

Instead of getting broad support, Najib's actions were ridiculed and criticized. All Malaysians consider Najib to have failed to understand the solidarity action for Rohingya. The people actually asked Najib to use his strength as Prime Minister of Malaysia to bully Myanmar.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister from the 1981-2003 era, Mahatir Mohamad was at the forefront of condemning Najib. Najib's action to participate in demonstrations was considered funny and not intelligent. Mahathir emphasized that the government could cut diplomatic relations with Myanmar.

The government can also submit direct protests to ASEAN until the United Nations imposes sanctions. Surprisingly, Najib actually plunged into the road. There are also those who consider the action of plunging into Najib's road to eliminate people's memories. This condition is because Najib is currently entangled in a mega-corruption case of the State Investment Fund, 1MDB.

"If we rule, my proposal is to cut diplomatic relations to show our disapproval of the treatment experienced by Rohingya. When he (Najib) served as PM, he went to demonstrations. Who did he protest?" Mahathir said criticizing Najib as quoted by the BBC website, December 4, 2016.