He said Malaysia had been doing “a lot of things in favour of refugees”, noting that Malaysia had accepted many who fled from Myanmar and other countries.

“So, let us legitimise what we’re already doing,” he said after attending a workshop by Mercy Malaysia on humanitarian issues.

When asked whether he feared a possible public backlash by proposing ratification of the refugees’ conventions, Syed Hamid said it is a must for civil groups to engage the public on the consequences of ratifying the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol.

“Otherwise, it will become like the case for ICERD.

“This is why we are doing forums on humanitarian issues and refugees,” the two-term foreign minister said, referring to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which met opposition from certain groups fearful it will erode Malay rights guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.

The government called off plans to ratify ICERD after the public backlash late last year.

ICERD obliges parties to eliminate racial discrimination in all forms, including in public institutions as well as in government policies, the issue at the heart of the opposition from Malay groups.

Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention that guarantees the rights of those who are given asylum in a country and the responsibilities of countries that grant asylum.

Meanwhile, Mercy Malaysia president Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus said that it is easy for civil groups like them to push the government to sign UN conventions but it may not be so easy for the government.

“It is easy for us to push for education of refugees but the government must first ensure education for us, the locals. That is a consequence of over-ratifying conventions,” he said.