IN legal terms, permanent residents (PR) are not citizens but have permission to live in a country indefinitely without any other visa or work permit. Like in other countries, those living in Malaysia as a PR enjoy a few significant privileges.
Besides the permission to stay and work indefinitely, a PR can open a business and has the right to apply for citizenship in the long run.
Their children may become citizens immediately after they are born. However granting PR status to a foreigner is not an obligation for any government.
But immigrant-dependent countries adopt provisions that might allow a foreigner to apply for permanent residency.
And each country has its own set of requirements to award permanent residency to a foreigner. For example, one may become eligible to apply for PR status only after living in Malaysia for 12 years.
Once awarded permanent residency, a PR becomes eligible for certain rights and privileges. Before a PR would seek their rights and privileges, they need to fathom the expectations of Malaysians from them.
The expectations to speak Bahasa Melayu and protect the name and interest of the rakyat would be top of the list and adapting themselves to local culture.
Indeed, raising the rights and privileges of an immigrant or a PR in a public forum has become more challenging than ever before.
Violence against immigrant populations has become more epidemic than sporadic. If not seen as an enemy to the nation, immigrant populations are often seen as a burden.
Nevertheless, from the perspective of a PR, one would want to enjoy the rights and privileges that make their living in Malaysia meaningful more as a human than a legal resident.
A PR has access to education and healthcare with fees to be paid similar to a foreigner. Besides, he can own a property where the terms and conditions for the purchase are also similar to a foreigner.
Sadly, it is often forgotten or ignored how immigrant populations, including PRs, contribute to the economic prosperity of a nation, especially those who are heavily dependent on foreign labour and professional forces.
In reality, a PR in Malaysia is no more than a foreigner except for their rights to live here without being dependent on an additional visa or work permit.
There will be no more argument if that is viewed using the "give and take" principle. Immigrant workforces such as PRs are paid for their services that they might not earn and enjoy in their country of origin.
From a humane perspective, it is more than just give and take or a legal obligation to grant permission to work and live in a country as a PR.
As a matter of fact, a PR neither belongs to the country they are residing nor they belong to their country of origin. In their heart, they carry a dilemma; in their hand, they hold a dossier of their legal identity.
Their legal identity provides their physical and logistic needs to live in a country - but this is far from having the peace of mind of belonging and ownership of what and whom they work for.
To have a more humane life, a PR does not have to have citizenship or voting rights but could be given the privilege of healthcare, education, and some minor facilities to roam around in the country with a pride that they are not an alien.
Awarding PR status to a foreigner should be about their human and moral obligation to making meaningful contributions and spending a significant time of their life in service to others in the country.
* The writer is Deputy Executive Director, International Institute of Public Policy & Management, Universiti Malaya