Empower people through legal reform, says human rights lawyer

Source : The Malaysian Insight   Chan Kok Leong   Published on 30 Sep 2017

REGARDLESS of what happens in the next general election, Malaysians need to build a better Malaysia by empowering people through laws.

“There are laws that govern the freedom of people but they do nothing to empower Malaysians.

“As such we need to review all the laws that restrict the freedom of speech, expression and association,” said human rights lawyer Syahredzan Johan in Kuala Lumpur today.

Envisioning the Future : Malaysia Beyond GE14

Malaysians are confronted with three issues that impacts on the quality of life and standard of living of the various key sectors of the population: youths stuck with spiraling debt, workers facing stagnant wages, and patients confronted with a rising cost of healthcare.

At the heart of these problems is the widening inequality in the country, one that is skewed in favour of the rich.

At present, at least 11 youths go bankrupt daily because they are unable to pay their education and housing loans. 57% of parents go into debt to pay for their children’s education loans. The loans are subsequently transferred to their children who are burdened with debt even before they secure employment.

Parliamentarians come together to promote human rights in the context of trade

25 August 2017,      Source : ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights

JAKARTA – Governments in the process of negotiating the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) must ensure that the trade deal’s provisions protect human rights. That was the message from parliamentarians and other stakeholders who convened in Jakarta this week to discuss the RCEP and its implications for the region’s citizens during a two-day dialogue organized by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ), and the Extraterritorial Obligation (ETO) Consortium.

The meeting brought together members of parliament from countries involved in the RCEP, international experts, civil society representatives, and government officials to discuss the ongoing negotiations and the trade deal’s likely impact on human rights. At the conclusion of the dialogue, parliamentarians called for more attention to the deal’s human rights implications.

Time to review the management of migrant workers

26th July, 2017     Source : Berita Daily

This repeats like a mantra in Malaysia. When journalists follow leads to break stories that take a whack at the government, cabinet members jump on a bandwagon to cry foul.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is no different.

He told parliament that the Al-Jazeera report, which exposes entrenched graft in the movement of workers between Malaysia and migrant source countries especially Bangladesh, is misleading.

Halt the mission - nuclear energy is not an option

by Malaysian Coalition Against Nuclear (MyCAN)     Published 21 Apr 2017   Source : Malaysiakini

The Malaysian Coalition Against Nuclear (MyCAN) is appalled that the Malaysian government is determined to go down the nuclear energy route with the completion of the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission for Phase 1 of ‘readiness’ that was conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last October.

When receiving the final mission report from the IAEA on March 8, at the sideline of the 8th Annual Nuclear Power Asia Conference, held in Kuala Lumpur, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri proclaimed that Malaysia is “thoroughly prepared” to decide on adoption of nuclear power generation.

Minister Nancy has said that the report would be presented to the cabinet soonest for a decision to be made as Malaysia has 30 days to respond to the recommendations.
In light of this latest development, MyCAN urges the government, in the interests of transparency, to do the following:

Make nuclear power plant report public, says Charles

9th March, 2017    Source : Berita Daily

KUALA LUMPUR: Klang lawmaker Charles Santiago today questioned the speed in which the government had become knowledgeable on nuclear power plants within a period of four months.

“We were told that the stakeholders would be consulted in the last sitting and no decision was made,” he said at a press conference in the media room.

“On Monday, Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri said that Malaysia is ready for the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Phase 1.

MP wants public registry updated for all major diseases

by Ariv Chelvam     Published 6 Dec 2016     Source : Malaysiakini

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DAP lawmaker Charles Santiago has urged that the registries for all major diseases be updated with immediate effect.

He said this includes HIV, cancer and hepatitis C.

Santiago, who is the MP for Klang, said the update would ensure the government can allocate adequate resources for healthcare.