Aliran is appalled by the statement of Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar claiming that the Sri Kembangan state assembly member Ean Yong Hian Wah had intimidated the police when he called on them to stop their investigation of DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng, for alleged sedition.
Aliran hails the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision ordering the government to pay RM30,000 to each of the 29 human rights activists and journalists wrongfully detained during the Apcet II conference in Kuala Lumpur.
Our special correspondent takes a critical look at Najib’s Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) and finds echoes of the Ninth Malaysia Plan. But the real problem lies with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and related activities.
The 7-8 December 2009 ACMW Drafting Committee Meeting on a Framework Instrument on the Protection and Promotion of Migrant Workers’ Rights in Kuala Lumpur ended in deadlock. The Malaysian government continues to oppose the stance taken by its three Asean ACMW partners (Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines) to include provisions to protect the rights of all migrant workers and their families.
We have been informed that Barry Wain’s book, “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times”, apparently has been held up by Malaysian authorities.
The Asean Committee for Migrant Workers (ACMW) Drafting Committee meets in Kuala Lumpur on 7 and 8 December 2009, hosted by the Ministry of Human Resources. The ACMW Drafting Committee comprising Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, is in the process of drafting a Framework Instrument on the protection and promotion of migrant workers rights for Asean, in line with the principle affirmed by the ten Asean states, under the Bangkok Declaration on Irregular Migration 1999 and the Asean Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.
Under the Bangkok Declaration, “regular migration and irregular migration should not be considered in isolation from each other”, and “migration, particularly irregular migration, should be addressed in a comprehensive and balanced manner, considering its causes, manifestations and effects, both positive and negative, in the countries of origin, transit and destination.”
Click icon on bottom right of box to expand to full-screen slideshow mode
Dalam ucapan utamanya di MAT ini, Presiden Aliran P Ramakrishnan merakamkan perasaan kesalnya terhadap apa yang berlaku di negeri Perak yang melibatkan kontroversi pengambil-alihan pemerintahan negeri oleh parti BN daripada tangan Pakatan Rakyat ekoran dari ‘lompatan’ beberapa ADUN. Ini adalah satu tindakan politik yang membelakangkan kehendak majoriti rakyat Perak yang memilih PR pada pilihanraya umum 2008.
Aliran welcomes the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision declaring that the Kota Siputeh seat has been vacated. In doing so, the High Court has upheld the interpretation of the Speaker of the Kedah state assembly that under Article 51 of the Kedah Constitution the incumbent assembly member for Kota Siputeh Abu Hassan Sarif was no longer an assembly member.
Aliran condemns the Home Ministry’s recent action to reportedly cancel next year’s publishing permit of the Catholic multilingual weekly newspaper, The Herald, as it violates the principle of freedom of expression and of religion in the country.
It appears that the Opposition can only win Round 1! Whether it is the Kampung Buah Pala case, or Nizar’s case involving the Perak crisis or Anwar’s case with regard to getting the vital evidence for his defence – that seems to be the case! In all these instances, the High Court had shown a lot of wisdom, had taken the pain to understand the issues concerning these cases, and had delivered well-reasoned judgments that were impressive and well received by the people at large.