Monday, December 17, 2012

Which Media and Political Party Really Support Freedom of Expression and Opinion

Which Media (Mainstream and Alternative) is interested in giving effect to Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Opinion....of the people...of workers?

Many Joint Statements have been sent to both mainstream and alternative media to be reported, and alternatively to at least be carried in the Letters, Opinion sections...BUT alas, it is not only not reported by many.... let alone carried in their Letters or Opinion section...

For media, 'NEWSMAKERS' seem to be only politicians - and so other voices, even those of so many civil society groups, trade unions,... are just IGNORED... Those with Online media do not really have the old problem of space which is an issue with 'print' media - so, we wonder why many alternative media also do not report on (or at the very least carry these statements, and many others from various Rights Organizations...as Letters/Opinions...

Likewise we must evaluate the failure of Media Publications(be it print or electronic) of Political Parties, who also do receive these statements - Why do they also not carry these statements on WORKERS and Worker Rights issued by CSOs, Trade Unions, etc... Will they only carry statements issued by their party politicians? Is that not what we complain about the Barisan Nasional - and the media outlets that they control? 

Wonder if Pakatan Rakyat would be any different - looking at the way they too seem to have failed to report on many of the statements concerning worker rights, etc - Do they not support Freedom of Expression...and Opinion. Could they not have carried these statements about the 'Contractor for Labour" or "Outsourcing", and the issue about rights of wrongfully dismissed workers... Just drop by the web version of the many different political party media sites, and search to see how much coverage they have given issues like worker rights.... or how much coverage they have given to statements of CSOs, Trade Unions, etc - WHY?

Supporting Freedom of Expression also means helping to disseminate the different views/opinions as well...


Joint Statement 5/12/2012[Now 53]
We, the 53 undersigned groups, organisations, trade unions and networks are appalled by the revelation that revelation that between the period of 2001 and 2011, that  31.5% or  10,016 of workers in Malaysia who claimed wrongful dismissal, were denied their right to have their cases heard and determined by the Industrial Court


Media Statement – 3/11/2012


We, the undersigned 78 groups and organisations welcome Malaysia’s move towards the abolition of the mandatory death penalty for drug offences, and replacing it with jail terms. 
 
 
 
 
Kenyataan Bersama – 3/5/2012 ((Versi Bahasa Malaysia)


Tarikbalik pindaan 2012 kepada Akta Kerja 1955.


Kami, 93 kesatuan sekerja, kumpulan masyarakat awam (civil society groups) dan pertubuhan yang bertandatangan di bawah membantah tindakan kerajaan Malaysia menghancurkan perhubungan pekerjaan(employment relationship) terus di antara prinsipal sebagai majikan, dan pekerja(workers) mereka selaku pekerja(employee) melalui pindaan terbaru Akta Kerja 1955.

Joint Statement – 3/5/2012

Abolish the ‘Contractor for Labour’ system

Withdraw the 2012 amendments to Employment Act 1955.

We, the undersigned 93 trade unions, civil society groups and organizations object to the actions of the government of Malaysia in destroying direct employment relationship between the principal, as employer, and their workers, as employees, with the latest amendments to the Employment Act 1955.

Media Statement – 28/10/2011 (107 Groups),now 111


We, the undersigned 111 organizations, groups and networks are disturbed that the Malaysian government has proceeded to table, and get it passed speedily on 6/10/2011 at the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representative) the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2011 despite protests from workers, trade unions and civil society. The proposed changes to the Employment Act would be most detrimental to worker rights, trade unions and the existing just direct 2-party employment relationship between worker and end-user (the principal). Malaysia’s action goes contrary to justice. In many countries employers have been wrongly trying to avoid/disguise employment relationships by way of contracts/agreements and triangular relationships, and Malaysia rather than fighting against this negative trend is now trying to legalize it, hence showing itself to be anti-worker anti-unions.

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