9 December, 2017
Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia
Message on International Human Rights Day
As
Malaysia joins the world in commemorating International Human Rights Day on
December 10, perhaps this is a good time to reflect on our own human rights
record. This year, Human Rights Day will kick off a year-long campaign to mark
the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which
was proclaimed on 10th December 1948.
Gabungan
Bertindak Malaysia (GBM), a coalition of 27 NGOs of diverse background, is sad
to note that the past year has not seen any significant improvement of the
human rights in Malaysia. To list all the violations of human rights in
Malaysia in 2017 would probably take too much space, however the experience of
various GBM’s member organisations in the past year is enough to illustrate the
sad state of human rights in Malaysia.
On
21st February 2017, Lena Hendry, a former programme coordinator of
Pusat KOMAS, a member organisation of GBM, who was charged with airing the
documentary “No Fire Zone” in a Pusat KOMAS’s event in 2013 without the
approval from Malaysian Censorship Board, was found guilty under Film
Censorship Act 2002 and on 22nd March 2017 she was sentenced to pay
a fine of RM10,000. The documentary touches upon the alleged war crime against
the Tamil community in Sri Lankan civil war.
The
case reflected the growing threat against the freedom of expression in
Malaysia. It also set a dangerous precedent that it is now unlawful for people
to document and screen videos without sending their videos to the Film
Censorship Board for approval.
On
24th May 2017, three activists from Citizen Action Group on Enforced
Disappearance (CAGED) – Sevan Doraisamy, Thomas Fann and Rama Ramanathan – was questioned
by the police following an order by the then Inspector General, Khalid Abu
Bakar through his Twitter posting. CAGED is a coalition of NGOs that aim to
monitor cases of enforced disappearance in Malaysia following the mysterious
abductions of Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat, and the disappearance of
Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife, Ruth. Rama was representing Bersih 2.0 while
Sevan and Thomas were respectively representing SUARAM and ENGAGE, which are
member organisations of GBM.
The
National Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) has formed a public inquiry into the
allegations of enforced disappearances, which is still on-going. These cases of
suspected enforced disappearances is a worrying trend that has emerged in 2017
and added to the already bloated list of
human rights’ concern in Malaysia.
On
16th August 2017, Ho Yock Lin, former president of All Women Action
Society (AWAM), a member organisation of GBM focusing on women’s rights and Ivy
Josiah, a women’s rights activist, were questioned by the police for their
involvement in the “Free Maria” walk. The Free Maria walk was held on 23rd
November 2016 where more than 500 women marched from Padang Merbok to the
Parliament building, demanding Maria Chin Abdullah, the Chair of Bersih 2.0, to
be released from detention under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012
(Sosma) for her role in the organising of Bersih 5 rally.
The
questioning, which was held nine months after the event, was another example of
assault against freedom of assembly, which was ironic considering that the walk
itself was intended as a protest against the police’s detention of Maria which
was itself another example of attack on the freedom of assembly as well as an
example of the abuse a law which provided for detention without trial.
Islamic
Renaissance Front (IRF), another member organisation of GBM, has also became a victim
of the narrowing space of human rights in Malaysia. In 2017, several books published
or distributed by the organisation have been banned by the Home Ministry under
the Printing Presses and Publication Act.
On 25th September 2017 Mustafa Akyol, a respected
international scholar on Islam, who was invited as a speaker for a series of talks
on Islam organised by IRF, was briefly detained and questioned by the police
and the religious authority JAWI for allegedly teaching Islam without official
credential. Dr. Ahmad Farouk Musa, Chairman and Director of IRF was questioned
by JAWI on 2nd October 2017 under Section 43 of the Shariah Offences
Act 1997 (Federal Territories) for allegedly abetting with Mustafa Akyol.
Considering
all these depressing developments, it is hard to be optimistic with the state
of human rights in Malaysia for the year 2018 and beyond. However, we do not
have the luxury of giving up or slowing down.
As
the world marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights in 2018, and Malaysia to have its 14th General Election, Gabungan
Bertindak Malaysia urges all Malaysians to stop this rot by taking up the cause
of human rights. We must stand firm and strive hard for a Malaysia that is
united by human rights and human dignity, which should demonstrate these
characteristics:
·
Freedoms of thought, speech, assembly and
association, and by extension religious, linguistic and cultural inclusion,
protected from both state and private encroachment;;
·
Governments chosen through free and fair
elections, with effective mechanisms to curb distortion of electoral mandate
and under-representation of women and minorities;
·
Impartiality and integrity of Judiciary,
Attorney General’s Chambers, Bureaucracy, Police, Military and all other
unelected public institutions;
·
Socio-economic inclusion and sustainable
development to ensure everyone can live with basic needs fulfilled, equal
opportunity to pursue life goals and dignity.
Only
a Malaysia where everyone’s right as human is guaranteed, can we have
sustainable unity, prosperity and stability.
Issued by
Zaid Kamaruddin,
Chair, Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia
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