THE recent announcement by Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam that Muslim children in the state will be allowed to marry just boggles the mind. According to Ali Rustam, who is also Malacca Islamic Religious Council chairperson, allowing child marriages will help curb teenage pregnancy and baby dumping, and prevent pregnant teenagers from […]
Commentary
Not talking about sex: At whose expense?
By Gan Pei Ling
SOME government officials have recently come up with “creative” ways to solve the problems of teenage pregnancy and baby dumping in Malaysia. To curb teenage pregnancies, the Education Ministry said it was encouraging students to submit written pledges that they would not engage in premarital sex. To solve the problem of baby dumping, Malacca Chief […]
Who pays our political parties?
By Ding Jo-Ann
EVER wondered where political parties get their money? And what they use it for? While skeptics may think that political parties just use their money for handouts and bribes, in fact, they also legitimately need money to carry out proper functions. For example, political parties need to maintain their party machinery, conduct voter education and […]
The secretive Malaysian government
By Ding Jo-Ann
A SHOW-CAUSE letter sent to whistleblower Dr Selva Vathany Kanapathi Pillai, who has been highlighting mismanagement at the Orang Asli hospital in Gombak, cites rule 19 of the Peraturan-Peraturan Pegawai Awam (Kelakuan dan Tatatertib) 1993. It states, amongst other things, that a civil servant cannot make any public statement or provide factual information about the […]
How the govt undermines Suhakam
By Deborah Loh
WE know that Senator Ezam Mohd Nor was diverting from the real issue when he commented on the story about foreign workers at the new Istana Negara construction site allegedly not being paid their wages. He turned what was really a human rights issue and possible labour law violation into a case of undermining the monarchy. What is more important than Ezam’s rhetoric is that once again, an authority tasked with protecting people, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), is disregarded.
Violence against Penan: How the government ignores indigenous rights
By Ding Jo-Ann
THE phenomenon of indigenous women like the Penan being violated is not peculiar to Malaysia. Indeed, there are parallels in other countries, including a developed nation like the US. In their 2007 report, Maze of Injustice: The failure to protect indigenous women from sexual violence in the USA, Amnesty International (AI) reported that indigenous women […]
Suara Keadilan suspension: Meddling with the media
By Ding Jo-Ann
WHOM should the media be accountable to – the public or the government? Judging from the Home Ministry’s refusal to renew the permit of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) newspaper Suara Keadilan, it appears the government is still intent on making the media answerable to it. The ministry was apparently “not satisfied” with Suara Keadilan’s response […]
Cabinet or Umno: Who calls the shots?
By Ding Jo-Ann
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s recent announcement of the government’s most recent u-turn on legalising sports betting raises questions, once again, about Umno’s dominance within the Barisan Nasional (BN). Najib announced the Finance Ministry’s withdrawal of approval for Ascot Sports’ sports betting licence directly after an Umno supreme council meeting on 25 June 2010. […]
Kedah, the Islamic state?
By Shanon Shah
IF a picture paints a thousand words, then one wonders what description of Kedah its billboards are now painting. A drive down Lebuhraya Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar reveals a succession of billboards for a variety of companies and products with slogans in Jawi script. In fact, one of the billboards promoting Media Prima-owned radio […]
The arbitrariness of moral policing
By Shanon Shah
CRITICISMS towards moral policing in Malaysia are nothing new. Back in 2005, the Federal Territories Islamic Department came under fire after its infamous raid of Kuala Lumpur’s Zouk nightclub. After the Muslim detainees’ claims of sexual harassment and other abuse by religious enforcers, the government sought to curb moral policing, in rhetoric at least. In […]
