ON Tuesday, 28 April 2009, The Star published an article by Dr Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad under the column IKIM’s Views on the question of religion and human rights in Malaysia. We the undersigned wrote a rebuttal. The Star has chosen not to publish our rebuttal. We would appreciate the opportunity of presenting a different […]
human rights
ISA will not be used arbitrarily: Najib (Updated)
(Updated 7:32pm, 7 April 2009) PUTRAJAYA, 7 April 2009: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today his administration would not use the Internal Security Act (ISA) arbitrarily but would give importance to the principles of human rights and civil liberties. He said the ISA was undergoing a review to ensure that it incorporated several […]
Pak Lah: Release of detainees good
KUALA LUMPUR, 5 April 2009: Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has lauded his successor Datuk Seri Najib Razak for releasing 13 Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees. “It is good decision. A good move. I am sure the time has come for them to be released, so he released them,” he told reporters after […]
Abolish ISA among UNHCR recommendations
By Zedeck SiewPETALING JAYA, 12 Feb 2009: An international panel has urged Malaysia to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA) and establish an independent oversight mechanism for police conduct. In the inaugural review of Malaysia’s human rights report card, the United Nations Human Rights Council panel in its draft report also recommended that the Human Rights Commission […]
Malaysia’s UN report card
By Andrew KhooIN the midst of Perak’s political crisis and public anger over A Kugan’s death, many might fail to note a significant upcoming event on 11 Feb 2009. This is the review of Malaysia’s human rights record by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council. It takes place between 2.30pm and 5.30pm Geneva time, or 9.30pm […]
The right to information
By Zedeck SiewLogo from CIJ’s FOI campaign (all pics courtesy of CIJ)WHILE freedom of information (FOI) is a formidable rallying cry today, its intricacies are frequently lost amid all the catch-phrase-slinging. We like the sound of the idea, but we are usually unaware of the details and implications, the ways in which this fundamental right can and […]
Where are the police?
By R GaneshPolice personnel watching traffic go by in Dun Bandar, Kuala Terengganu (all pics by Lainie Yeoh) I AM amazed how the police sometimes have so many personnel for certain events. I refer to the current Kuala Terengganu by-election. Besides truckloads of police personnel, there is even a chopper flying. A few days ago, a baby […]
Islamic crime and punishment
By Shanon ShahA MUCH sought-after speaker, imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was born in Kuwait in 1948 into an Egyptian family steeped in religious scholarship. He has a degree in physics from Columbia University in New York, United States, and was also educated in England and Malaysia. His comfort in slipping into Bahasa Malaysia before this interview was […]
Malaysian universities not keen to invite Shirin Ebadi
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 11 Dec 2008: Malaysia might miss its chance to hear the first Muslim woman Nobel Peace laureate speak. None of the Malaysian universities appear keen to invite Shirin Ebadi, despite the Foreign Ministry retracting its ban on the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist from speaking here. Ebadi was to deliver a keynote […]
Human rights: what’s stopping Malaysia?
By Elizabeth Looi and Shanon ShahEleanor Roosevelt reading the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Spanish text (source: wikipedia.org) “MALAYSIA has only signed two out of the eight core international human rights treaties,” says Alice Nah, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) executive committee member. “As time goes on, however, Malaysia’s reluctance to sign these treaties will become more […]
