THE Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) totally agrees with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that bumiputera status should be passed on by either the father or the mother. The current practice is archaic in its paternalistic attitude. Why are women, who are the ones who give birth to a […]
Letters to the Editor
Time to un-gag information
By the Coalition for Good GovernanceTHE campaign for freedom of information advocated by civil society organisations in Malaysia is now five years old, and finally it has come to fruition. With the new change of state government, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has now taken the bold step of ensuring freedom of information. In November 2009, the menteri […]
Sebat Kartika: Antara akta, aqidah dan akal
Oleh Juana Jaafar
KES Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno yang disabit bersalah kerana meminum arak telah menimbulkan pelbagai reaksi di kalangan umat Islam di Malaysia. Merujuk kepada artikel-artikel terbitan akhbar arus perdana khususnya, ramai yang menyokong hukuman maksima yang diputuskan oleh Mahkamah Syariah Pahang terhadap Kartika iaitu denda sebanyak RM5,000 dan enam kali sebatan. Walaubagaimanapun, terdapat juga pihak-pihak lain […]
Ensure just LRA amendments
By MCCBCHSTTHE Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) is concerned about the comments by senior federal counsel Mohamad Naser Disa, as reported in theSun newspaper on 25 Nov 2009. The comments were in relation to proposed amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act (LRA) 1976 for situations where one […]
Let Banggarma choose her own religion
By Rev. Dr Thomas PhilipsTHE Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hindusim, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) refers to the case of 27-year-old Banggarma Subramaniam, a.k.a. Siti Hasnah Vengarama Abdullah, who said she was converted to Islam at age seven. Banggarma says this was done by the welfare home, while the welfare authorities say it was done by her father. […]
Regulating 1Malaysia clinics
By Dr Ng Swee ChoonTHE Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Association of Malaysia (FPMPAM) would like to raise concern over the quality of 1Malaysia clinics, which are staffed by hospital assistants. FPMPAM fully supports and encourages more health initiatives to serve the public and their health needs. However, clinics serving the public must comply with the standard outlined by […]
Closed Penan rape cases an injustice
By Women's action groups
TOMORROW, 25 Nov 2009, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. We join advocates around the world in calling attention to the systematic violations of women’s rights, particularly through crimes of sexual violence. In Malaysia, the rapes of Penan women and children in Sarawak serves as a horrific reminder of the […]
Probe high number of deaths of migrants in custody
By Datuk M RamachelvamTHE Malaysian Bar is disturbed about the high number of migrants who have died while in custody. In July 2009, the Dewan Rakyat was told that some 2,029 persons died in prisons, rehabilitation centres and immigration detention centres between 2002 and 1 June 2009. More recently, Suhakam Commissioner Datuk Siva Subramaniam was quoted as saying […]
Govt must act on evidence of wrongdoing in Lingam case
By Ragunath KesavanTHE Malaysian Bar is appalled by the stand taken by the government in Parliament on 9 Nov 2009 in relation to the Datuk VK Lingam video clip incident, in particular its viewpoint that investigations have revealed that no wrongdoing could be established. Such a simplistic and irresponsible conclusion is an affront to the Royal Commission […]
PAS “ridicules marriage”
By The National Council of Women's OrganisationsAS a national organisation representing about 120 women’s organisations in the country, the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO) is concerned with the ruling within PAS that all Selangor PAS elected representatives will have to divorce their wives if they were to jump ship. NCWO would like to state categorically that this is certainly the […]
