PERTH: Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak have met for the first time since the collapse of their people-swap deal and have reaffirmed their commitment to the controversial arrangement despite the domestic political deadlock.Gillard met Najib in the run-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting here today. People smuggling was high on the agenda.
“They agreed on the importance of regional solutions to the challenge of irregular migration,” a spokesperson for Gillard said soon after the meeting.
“Both prime ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Malaysia-Australia transfer agreement as an innovative and effective approach to combating people smuggling.”
Gillard and Najib struck the people-swap deal in May.
It would have resulted in Australia sending 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in exchange for 4,000 proven refugees.
But the High Court subsequently ruled the deal unlawful and the government’s attempts at resurrecting it through legislative change have not attracted enough parliamentary support.
Nonetheless, the government says it remains committed to the policy, which it believes would undermine people smugglers and stop asylum seeker boats sailing for Australia.
read more at FreeMalaysiaToday.com
