Sunday August 2, 2009
Life in the shadows
EUROFILE WITH CHOI TUCK WO
BOCs are stuck in a quandary – they cannot work, marry or travel for fear of being rejected upon their return to the UK.
TALK about Monday blues: the morning rain could not have come at a worse time for a motley bunch of ex-Malaysians gathered under a huge oak tree across the road from Westminster Abbey in central London.
United under the banner of the Malaysian British Overseas Citizens (BOCs), they were setting off on a symbolic march to the Home Office nearby as part of their campaign to lobby for British citizenship. Well, the skies cleared just in time for the event.
Being stateless, some of the BOCs were a little apprehensive when they spotted several bobbies mingling with the crowd.
“Oo mata ay (Hokkien for ‘There’re cops around’),” mumbled a Penangite to his friend as they exchanged furtive glances every few moments although the policemen were there for security purposes.
But the BOCs have nothing to fear. They are not criminals and they’re not breaking the law. It’s just that the law doesn’t seem to be giving them a break.
Public sentiment
In fact, they’ve been forced to live in the shadows – no thanks to poor legal advice and the Home Office’s immigration rules which are seen to be as inconsistent as the fickle English weather.
End the agony: The Malaysian BOCs and their supporters gathering under a huge oak tree before the march in central London. — Choi Tuck Wo And they are part of more than 500 Malaysian BOCs in the UK who had been misled into “tearing up” their Malaysian passports as a route towards gaining the right to settle in Britain.
Stuck in a quandary, they cannot work, marry or travel for fear of being rejected upon their return. Some have ended up like the “Flying Dutchman”.
These ex-Malaysians acquired BOC status by virtue of being born in Penang and Malacca before 1983 following an amendment to the British Nationality Act, which created a residual BOC category.
According to London Citizens’ organiser Jessica Jones, the Malaysian BOCs have a good chance of being regularised partly due to the Home Office’s poor advice, which left them in a bind.
She drew attention to some 11,000 Zimbabweans whom she claimed were granted resident status in Britain following their campaign last summer.
“They faced a similar predicament. They had nowhere to go because the UK government refused to deport them,” she said, adding that the BOCs were a smaller group compared with the Zimbabweans.
Jones felt there was a strong argument for the BOCs based on compassionate grounds as they came from two former colonies with historic links with Britain.
She dismissed concern about public sentiment towards the BOCs in light of the economic recession, particularly with so many locally born and bred Britons out of jobs.
“Actually, there is a strong economic argument for regularisation. If undocumented migrants can live and work here, they can help to contribute to the economy.
“If we get more people to pay taxes, the better it will be for our struggling economy,” she said, referring to much larger amnesties granted in Belgium, Italy and Spain.
She added that rather than taking away jobs from locals, economic migrants could help to innovate and create opportunities in the labour market, further expanding the economic pie.
Undocumented migrants
Her colleague, community organiser Joy Lam, voiced similar views, saying many of the BOCs were young, bright and talented in various fields.
She said, for instance, some of them were designers and architects or were skilled in certain sectors like the catering industry, which hardly appeal to Britons.
Lam brushed off claims that 21st century Britain might not be as tolerant as it was in the 1980s where undocumented migrants were concerned.
“The Government cannot just remove them,” she said, citing the London School of Economics Report on a more pragmatic way of handling the UK’s 470,000 migrants.
Lam added that they were also trying to get Malaysian celebrity shoe designer Datuk Jimmy Choo to help champion the cause of the BOCs.
She said many BOCs looked forward to a high-profile ambassador like Choo, who is also from Penang, to assist them in getting resident status.
With speculations of a general election early next year, there is concern the government may have to tackle far more urgent issues on its plate than that of the BOCs.
One way or another, the window is closing fast on campaigners seeking a meeting with Immigration Minister Phil Woolas when he returns from his summer break next month.
The BOCs, on their part, must step out of the shadows and tell their stories to rally public support for their campaign by London Citizens, which is Britain’s largest alliance of 120 faith and community groups.
> Those keen to follow the latest updates can join the blog at http://thestatelesscitizen.blogspot.com
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