Tomorrow marks two months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In those long 60 days, the world has learned a lot about the resilience of a small nation, the humanity of ordinary people and the hypocrisy of governments.
Since the war began, around five million Ukrainians have fled the country, and over seven million more are internally displaced. But, though they have unwittingly become the West's outsourced outpost of democracy, help has come in the form of open borders, open arms and open homes throughout Europe and North America.
The generosity of heart, of ordinary people in neighbouring countries, to bring their troubled neighbours not only to safety, but to restore their lives in exile to some semblance of normalcy as quickly as possible is exemplary.
In France, for instance, Ukrainian children were enrolled in schools within days of arriving, and sent for language classes so that they can assimilate smoothly. Adults are being helped to update their professional certifications.
No one knows how long any of these refugees are going to be staying. So, for now, wherever is safe is "home", and all parties can only try to make the best of it.
Much has also been said about the double-standards that have been shown to "white" Ukrainian refugees and how well they have been treated by the West, as opposed to how "brown" refugees from Africa and the Middle East escaping to the West have been treated. The hypocrisy of it is undeniably clear.
But, lest we rest on our laurels, smug over calling the West out, it is important to see that that hypocrisy exists here, too. Over the past week, the image of barefoot Rohingya immigration detainees, adults and children, being herded like errant cattle along a highway, scared and cowed, spoken to roughly, should make us reflect on our own humanity and hang our heads in shame.
Nearly 600 detainees had escaped an Immigration detention depot in Relau, Kedah. Six of the escapees, including three children, died after being hit by cars on the North-South Expressway. Prior to the escape, some had staged a protest over allegedly deplorable living conditions and mistreatment in the overcrowded, dilapidated depot.
Malaysia is not a signatory to any convention or protocol pertaining to refugees. We do not recognise refugees, and if we do take any in, it is on humanitarian grounds only, not out of any legal obligation.
Refugees are only meant to be in transit; so, our policies are designed to make them want to move on to somewhere nicer. But, the Rohingya are stateless and have nowhere to go. As undocumented migrants, they cannot work, go to school, or have any life outside of the camps. The lucky few who hold United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees cards are allowed to work, but only in informal sectors. Is this how we want the rest of their lives to be?
And lest anyone thinks this is how we treat all refugees, let's be clear: This is how we treat the "brown" refugees. Bosnians, Palestinians and Syrians — "white" by our standards — are allowed to live normal lives amongst our populace.
Is it because we perceive the Rohingya to be "less than"? Poor, uneducated, underprivileged, already used to oppression and abuse? Aren't these the same excuses the West makes? If we don't check our hypocrisy, we will never live to the full breadth of grace. For shame!