Archive for category Human Rights
Human Rights and Transparency in Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Human Rights, Lim Guan Eng, Penang on Monday, 19 September 2011
by Lim Guan Eng
Speech at Monash Asia Institute in Melbourne
19th September 2011
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for inviting me to speak at the Monash Asia Institute, an important research center at my alma mater. I would like to especially thank Professor Greg Barton and my dear friend Dr Wendy Smith as well as send my thanks to the Monash University’s leadership. As you know, Monash University has a sister campus in Kuala Lumpur and although it is sadly not in my state, the university plays an important role in educating future leaders of our country.
As a Malaysian, I am very grateful for this collaboration and hope we can strengthen ties between Monash and Malaysia further. On a personal level, as many of your know I received my economics and accounting degree here and was quite active in student politics. I was never an outstanding student but what little I gleaned has helped me to formulate new economic and industrial policies in Penang that is now acknowledged as the best run state in Malaysia with strong growth, record budget surpluses and record FDIs coupled with a labour shortage.
In short, Monash helped me to evolve as a leader and politician and this university will always have a special place in my heart for which I am eternally grateful. Not only did I learn the importance of studying and working hard, but the need to forge relationships and centrality of principles. I am sure Monash will train future Malaysian leaders and I look forward to many of you helping to chart our future and being the change you want to see. Read the rest of this entry »
It was People Power that finished off the ISA
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, ISA, Judiciary on Saturday, 17 September 2011
Aliran Executive Committee
Malaysia Day, 16 September 2011
Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement that the ISA and the Emergency Ordinance would be repealed has taken the nation by surprise. He also announced that Section 27 of the Police Act (on public assemblies) and the requirement for publishing permits to be renewed annually would be dropped.
Most people would be inclined to welcome these announcements. But we would be well advised to temper any celebration with caution. What will replace these oppressive laws is not clear and has not yet been revealed in much detail.
The repeal of the ISA and EO is an acknowledgement that the government can no longer sustain the use of these laws without strong public condemnation and opposition. The repeal of these two laws is the only logical move. Read the rest of this entry »
Peanuts, not sweeping reforms
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, ISA, Kee Thuan Chye, Najib Razak on Saturday, 17 September 2011
by Kee Thuan Chye
Free Malaysia Today
September 16, 2011
Let’s not be fooled, people. The changes Najib announced are merely cosmetic, and will have to be passed in Parliament first before they become effective.
COMMENT
PEANUTS. That’s what Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s so-called “sweeping reforms” are. They hardly amount to a political transformation.
While it’s cheering to note that the Internal Security Act (ISA) will be repealed – finally, after our many years of waiting – and that the Emergency proclamations are to be lifted – a decision that is decades overdue –it’s disturbing to be told that they will be replaced by two new laws aimed at preventing subversion and safeguarding public order.
And even though the detention period under these new laws may be shorter, with further extensions to be made by court order, the Home Minister is still the one to decide who gets detained for suspicion of being a terrorist. Read the rest of this entry »
Official arrogance will bring Najib down
Posted by Kit in Elections, Human Rights, Najib Razak, Sarawak on Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Jeswan Kaur | September 13, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
When he took over as prime minister, Najib Tun Razak said he will listen to the people but his officers have turned a deaf ear to the promise with their arrogance.
COMMENT
In 2009, when Najib Tun Razak took over the country’s affairs from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, he promised the rakyat that his government would be all ears. But two years down the road it appears that the promise was just lip service.
One such example of refusing to listen to the rakyat was displayed through the insensitive remark by the Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal.
In February this year, Raja Nong Chik had admonished the Bukit Jalil estate workers who turned to him for help in trying to avoid being evicted from their homes. The minister told the residents that they should be contented with the Little India project when they wanted to negotiate compensation. Read the rest of this entry »
Humane decision as Malaysian plan springs a leak
Posted by Kit in Human Rights on Thursday, 1 September 2011
David Marr
The Sydney Morning Herald
September 1, 2011
Opinion
‘A devastating blow for the government’
It’s about fairness. For a long time the High Court has ticked off on the remarkable difficulties Australia puts in the way of asylum seekers who come here by boat. Even mandatory detention for life has been given the nod by the court. But lately the judges have ruled boat people must at least be dealt with fairly while they are caught up in the system.
Yesterday’s emphatic six to one decision extended that principle to those men, women and children Australia had wanted to send away to Malaysia. The court could find no guarantee they would be dealt with fairly once they arrived there. So the minister Chris Bowen’s choice of Malaysia as a safe haven was declared invalid.
It was not enough, said the Chief Justice Robert French, for the minister to have a “hope or belief or expectation” that the asylum seekers would be dealt with properly by Malaysia. They needed laws to protect them now and in the years ahead. “It is an agreed fact,” French observed, “that Malaysia does not recognise the status of refugees in domestic law”. Read the rest of this entry »
End the charade, revoke the ban on Bersih 2.0 and drop all charges against the 1,600 Bersih demonstrators and others related to wearing Bersih T-shirts or yellow
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Human Rights, Pakatan Rakyat on Saturday, 20 August 2011
On the occasion of the sixth yellow Saturday, I call on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to end the Barisan Nasional government charade for the past two months, revoke the ban on Bersih 2.0 and drop all charges against the 1,600 Malaysians arrested for taking part in the peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections on July 9 and all others related to Bersih 2.0 rally, including those for wearing Bersih T-shirts or just wearing yellow.
Let the Prime Minister and all Barisan Nasional Ministers come out openly to admit that they had gravely mishandled the Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections, which are the most pertinent, legitimate and democratic aspirations of right-thinking Malaysians so that the Malaysian electoral process can win the support, confidence and legitimacy of Malaysian voters.
It is no answer to the Bersih 2.0 rally for the Barisan Nasional Ministers and the Election Commission to counter that if the electoral system is as flawed as alleged by Bersih 2.0, Pakatan Rakyat and the civil society, then Pakatan Rakyat would not have won in five states or denied the Barisan Nasional two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 2008 general elections. Read the rest of this entry »
Reason why MoCS rally called off
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Police, Sarawak on Saturday, 13 August 2011
Written by Francis Siah
Saturday, 13 August 2011
CPI
Press Statements
Foreword by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
Readers who have been following the progress of the MoCS ‘Walk for Democracy and Reform’ assembly in Kuching will be as disappointed as we are that the event has been called off. This development, though disappointing is not unexpected given the extraordinary pressure on Francis and the small group of stalwart supporters during the last few weeks. The perverted use by the government of the law enforcement agencies for its political ends has long been a feature of Barisan Nasional rule in Malaysia; and this has proven to be the case once again. It will not be the last time.
Refusal to provide permits for legitimate public gatherings and events organized by the opposition is part of the standard operating procedure of the police force. Other not so subtle forms of denial of our constitutional right to freedom of assembly are the use of restraining orders, which with the connivance of a sycophantic judiciary, is meant to prohibit leaders and supporters from gathering anywhere close to the vicinity of any planned rally that is perceived as drawing attention to the corruption, abuses and bad governance of the ruling elite. Read the rest of this entry »
You probe me, I probe you
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Police, Sarawak on Thursday, 11 August 2011
Written by Francis Siah
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
CPI
I was ‘honoured’ to be welcomed back at the Kuching airport on Monday (Aug 8) by five police officers.
Immediately after I crossed the immigration counter at 6.15pm, one of them who introduced herself as ASP Angela ak Ladie, approached me and she and her colleagues then ushered me into a room. Another introduced himself as Sub-Inspector Simon Low. The others said they were stationed at the airport.
I was given a letter stating that I was required to be at the Sarawak police headquarters on Aug 10 at 10am for the purpose of recording my statement under Section 112 Criminal Procedure Code. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia has ‘very high’ religious restrictions, says report
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Religion on Wednesday, 10 August 2011
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 10, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — The government of Malaysia imposes “very high” restrictions on religion, an influential United States research group said yesterday.
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life said that it was among 10 countries out of 198 studied with very high government restrictions as of mid-2009 including Egypt, Iran, China, Myanmar and Indonesia.
Other regional neighbours such as Thailand and Singapore were rated moderate in the report while Philippines was considered to have low government restrictions on religious freedom.
“Government restrictions also increased substantially in Malaysia, which, like Egypt, already had very high restrictions to begin with. Although the country’s constitution recognises freedom of religion, Malaysia restricts the observance of Islamic beliefs and practices that do not conform to Sunni Islam,” its report titled “Rising Restrictions on Religion” said. Read the rest of this entry »
London riots
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights, Police on Wednesday, 10 August 2011
By Art Harun
August 10, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
AUG 10 — I have been rather sarcastically asked on Twitter such questions as, “you support freedom of assembly, you want Malaysians to riot like the Londoners?”. Another twitterati asked me, “Art, you support the riots in London?”.
Frankly, I am amused to my bone by such questions.
I am amused because the attempts at justifying the banning of public rallies in Malaysia by referring to the riotous behaviour of some others displays a certain degree of shallowness, if not lack of intelligence. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib says had Shah Alam stadium in mind for Bersih
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights, Najib Razak, Police on Sunday, 31 July 2011
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 31, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak disclosed today he had thought of Shah Alam stadium for the July 9 rally when he made offered a venue to Bersih, pointing out this was “the best option” available.
The prime minister, however, had never specified which stadium Bersih could hold the July 9 rally at when he made the offer.
“I offered a stadium. You can show dissent in a stadium, but they still wanted to do it on the streets.
“I had in mind the Shah Alam stadium, that was the best option,” Najib said today during his speech at the closing of the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) here. Read the rest of this entry »
PSM6: The end of the farce
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Jeyakumar, Najib Razak, Police on Saturday, 30 July 2011
— The Malaysian Insider
Jul 30, 2011
JULY 30 — Just this once, please apologise.
Own up to this despicable mistake of arresting six innocent Malaysians and, maybe, the rest of their fellow citizens will move on and cut the police as well as the Najib administration some slack.
Just this once, drop the political posturing and say sorry to Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar and his party colleagues, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) deputy chairman M. Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M. Sugumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A. Letchumanan, and Youth chief R. Saratbabu.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had an opportunity to right a wrong yesterday but he chose to indulge in official talk, saying that the release of the six was according to due process. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib: Release of PSM 6 according to rule of law
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights, Jeyakumar, Najib Razak on Friday, 29 July 2011
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 29, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak has insisted that the release of six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members from their Emergency Ordinance (EO) detention was done according to the due process of the law.
The prime minister told reporters today that the decision to release Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Devaraj Jeyakumar and five others at 5.30pm was made by the police based on “their observations.”
“We welcome it. It is up to the Attorney General to decide on further action. As a country, we hold to the rule of law,” the Umno president said after chairing an Umno supreme council meeting. Read the rest of this entry »
MMA: Don’t force-feed Jeyakumar
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Jeyakumar on Friday, 29 July 2011
K Pragalath | July 29, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
The authorities must respect Jeyakumar’s right to go on hunger strike as a non-violent form of protest, says Malaysian Medical Association.
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) today urged the police not to force-feed Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael D Jeyakumar who is being detained under the Emergency Ordinance.
“While we are concerned about the possible detrimental effects of this hunger strike on Jeyakumar’s health – more so as he has been brought to the hospital for heart problems twice since his initial arrest almost a month ago – we must also respect Jeyakumar’s right to this non-violent form of protest.
“In this regard, the MMA calls upon the authorities to respect international human rights law and not to resort to force-feeding as a means of ending Jeyakumar’s protest,” MMA president Mary Suma Cardosa said. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Human Rights on Friday, 29 July 2011
— David D. Mathew
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 28, 2011
JULY 28 — Malaysia receives thousands of visitors every day. Some come looking for jobs while others are travellers yearning to enjoy our sunny beaches and delicious food.
But this article is not about jobseekers or tourists.
It is about two men.
About a month ago, Malaysia welcomed someone from a country formerly known as Rhodesia. He was treated very well and afforded all the luxuries and hospitality Wisma Putra could possibly provide.
This man, who so easily entered Malaysia, has a European Union travel ban against his name.
When this man appeared at a food summit in Rome in 2008, Mark Malloch Brown, the British Foreign Office minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, commented that this was “like Pol Pot going to a human rights conference.” Read the rest of this entry »
Jeyakumar to go on hunger strike
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Jeyakumar, Police on Thursday, 28 July 2011
By Lisa J. Ariffin
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 28, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Emergency Ordinance (EO) detainee and Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj will begin a hunger strike today until he and five others detained under the EO are released or charged in court.
“Dr Jeyakumar told me that he would begin a hunger strike on July 28 to get justice. When I met my husband on July 27, he was feeling very frustrated and disappointed with the police and government’s stand on the six PSM activists detained under the EO since July 2,” Dr Jeyakumar’s wife Mohanarani Rasiah said today.
“I advised him against it because of his health but he resolved to do so until the PSM6 are released or charged in court.”
Mohanarani said Dr Jeyakumar had lost faith in the police. Read the rest of this entry »
After Bersih, doubts over Malaysia’s UNHRC spot
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights on Wednesday, 27 July 2011
By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 27, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — LawAsia, a global organisation of lawyers, judges and legal experts has reminded Putrajaya it could lose its seat in the United Nations’ Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for its strong-arm tactics over the Bersih 2.0 affair.
The 45-year-old society based in Brisbane, with membership from over 50 countries in Asia and the Pacific region, issued a strong-worded statement earlier this week rebuking the Malaysian government for breaching the fundamental rights to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it attempted to prevent the Bersih 2.0 rally for electoral reform on July 9.
It said the Najib administration’s actions of July 9 also appear to seriously breach another global agreement, the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which it said Malaysia adopted in 1990. Read the rest of this entry »
Government settles with ‘nude squat’ woman
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Police on Wednesday, 27 July 2011
The Malaysian Insider | July 27, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — The government has agreed to compensate the woman who was videotaped performing nude squats in a Petaling Jaya police station six years ago.
A settlement was reached between the government and Hemy Hamisa Abu Hasan Saari, 28, at the Kuala Lumpur high Court today.
However, the amount agreed upon by the government, the constable who recorded the video and the mother of three who had initially sought RM10 million in damages when she filed her civil suit, was not disclosed.
The widely-circulated 2005 video had embarrassed the police and resulted in a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) which called for the practice of stripping detainees and forcing them to perform squats a violation of human rights and Islamic principles.
Read the rest of this entry »
Habeas corpus made meaningless!
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Jeyakumar on Sunday, 24 July 2011
P Ramakrishnan
President
Aliran
22 July 2011
Aliran is deeply disillusioned with the judiciary. Instead of depending on technicalities and loopholes in the law, it should focus on fairness and justice.
It should be prominently and predominantly concerned with freedom and human rights of the citizens. When the freedom of individuals is deprived by dubious means, the judiciary should be uncompromising in defending that freedom.
Dr Jeyakumar and his five companions have been incarcerated since 2 July 2011. Nobody believes the accusations levelled against them. The whole exercise has turned into farcical nonsense. Read the rest of this entry »
5,000 private doctors call for Jeyakumar’s release
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Health, Human Rights, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Malaysiakini | Jul 19, 11
The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations, which represents some 5,000 private doctors nationwide, has joined hands with others in the medical profession in calling for the release of Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar.
“We are extremely concerned at the continued detention of our colleague, Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, whom we all recognise and acknowledge as a law-abiding, competent, kind and diligent doctor.
“His public service record is exemplary and, to the very best of our knowledge, he is certainly not a threat to our society,” the federation said in a media statement today.
Read the rest of this entry »
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