2008 Budget not for all

by Bede Hong     Published 7 Sep 2007     Source : Malaysiakini

The 2008 Budget, while helpful to the rural poor and civil servants, was silent on a variety of other issues, including economic competitiveness and workers rights.

MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Muhamud, Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation director Charles Santiago and academician Khoo Kay Peng felt there was little initiative to improve Malaysia's competitiveness.

"I don't see the Budget is doing enough for the private sector," said Khoo in a panel discussion organised by malaysiakini today. Also on the panel were Syed Shahir and Santiago.

Suhakam: Cops were unprofessional

by Fauwaz Abdul Aziz     Published 7 Aug 2007    Source : Malaysiakini

The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) agrees that the police acted unprofessionally in preventing an inter-religious seminar on water from being held at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said the opportunity for inter-religious dialogue and understanding - even on an issue as innocuous as water - may have suffered a setback and even led to further confusion.

"Such a gathering (at the National Mosque) would have united everyone... and (allowed them to) talk about things (that they have) in common," he said at a meeting this morning with the seminar organisers.

Water is God's gift, say religious groups

by Fauwaz Abdul Aziz     Published 6 Aug 2007     Source : Malaysiakini

Despite the authorities' refusal to permit the seminar from being held at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, six religious groups declared over the weekend their united stand on the human right to water.

At a Saturday forum in Kuala Lumpur, they inked their endorsement of a 'Merdeka Water Declaration' on the sacred right of access for all peoples' to water.

The groups included the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim), the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development (AOHD), the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia (BMSM) and the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM).

Religious forum on water 'forced' to switch venue

by Fauwaz Abdul Aziz     Published 4 Aug 2007    Source : Malaysiakini

Organisers of an inter-religious seminar on water privatisation have been forced to make last-minute changes to their plans, as certain quarters have withheld permission to hold it at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, its original venue.

The half-day seminar, entitled 'United for Water: Religions Speak on the Right to Water' and scheduled for today, has the backing of eight religious organisations and a number of civil society organisations.

National Mosque officials were said to have been supportive of the event and had extended their cooperation and its facilities to the seminar organisers.

Local interest blocs behind FTA drive?

by Fauwaz Abdul Aziz     Published 7 Jul 2007     Source : Malaysiakini

Complex international developments have led the European Union (EU) to knock on the doors of Asean member-countries to lobby for bilateral free trade agreements (FTA).

In Malaysia as elsewhere, however, internal interests are also pushing the government to sign onto the Asean FTA with EU.

It is high time, said an economist, to look at who these interests are rather than blaming it all on a neo-colonial agenda of external forces.

Expect lopsided results, warns lobby group

by Fauwaz Abdul Aziz     Published 27 Jun 2007     Source : Malaysiakini

All Malaysians - not just Malays - stand to lose out to big business should a free trade agreement (FTA) be signed between Asean and the European Union (EU), cautioned lobby group Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation.

Its director Charles Santiago was picking up on revived public debate on the New Economic Policy (NEP) following criticism by European Commission (EC) envoy to Malaysia Thierry Rommel ( photo ) who described it as a deterrent to foreign investment.

While it is high time the government corrects the flawed aspects of the NEP, scrapping it in the context of FTA negotiations will not necessarily level the playing field for non-bumiputeras, Santiago said when contacted.

Water: A challenge to religious leaders

by  Fauwaz Abdul Aziz     Published 31 Mar 2007     Source : Malaysiakini

Religious leaders in the country were challenged today to apply the teachings of their respective scriptures on water and declare their opposition to the 'profitisation' of the natural resource.

At the forefront of the call was Council of Churches of Malaysia's (CCM) general secretary Hermen Shastri, who urged church leaders to ink their objections to the privatisation of water treatment, supply, and management at a profit and at the expense of the people.

"Water was created by God as a gift for all people," Shastri told participants at a forum on Religion and the Human Right to Water held at Universiti Malaya (UM) in Petaling Jaya.
The event was organised by the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) and several other non-governmental organisations.