The Star
[4] Adopted in Hong Kong at the 14th World Congress of Sexology, August 26, 1999. See http://www.worldsexology.org/
PETALING JAYA: Organisers of Seksualiti Merdeka wants to meet the country’s top cop to explain the movement’s objectives.
Its press statement said all public events over the festival had been called off for the safety of its participants, adding that they were seeking a meeting with Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar to explain the Seksualiti Merdeka agenda.
The police had banned the event which was scheduled to run until Nov 13 in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are citizens who are being denied our rights to our identity and self-determination.
“The false allegations and ill-intended remarks made to incite hate towards us are completely unjustified,” it said yesterday.
The festival has been held annually since 2008 and this year’s events included workshops, book launches, an art exhibition and performances.
The organisers have expressed disappointment over the ban, stressing that Seksualiti Merdeka was for everyone who believed in sexual rights.
“Sexual rights are universal human rights based on the inherent freedom, dignity and equality of all human beings.”
The statement added that these principles and values were in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and the United Nations Charter that Malaysia had signed to become a UN member.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism has condemned the hateful speech that was directed at members of sexual minorities in Malaysia.
It also condemned the blanket ban on the Seksualiti Merdeka festival.
“The council recognises that the norms for sexual practices within each religion, as in numerous other matters, are governed by the commandments, laws, rules and regulations and values as set and practised within each religious group,” it said.
“Often there are differences in a given subject between one religion and another in our coalition.”
However, it said it recognised the differences, respected their practice by members of that faith, opposed any attempt to impose the norms and values of one upon another.
The council said it would continue to support such norms as long as these met universally recognised human rights and freedoms.
It said it was against harassment, intimidation, threats and violent attacks on any Malaysian including those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning (LGBTIQ) community.
Noting that all Malaysians had a right to freedom of expression and disagree with existing laws, it said they could assemble in peace to educate and to seek law reform.
In Ipoh, Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Heng Seai Kie said the LGBTIQ culture was not suitable for Malaysia.
She said although the sexual preferences of individuals were their personal choice, such culture should not be promoted on a big scale.
The ministry, she said, would however render assistance to them.
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STOP INCITING HATRED AGAINST US! WE ARE CITIZENS OF MALAYSIA
Press Statement by the Organisers of Seksualiti Merdeka 2011
Contact: seksualiti.merdeka@gmail.com
Date: 5 November 2011
We are saddened that many Malaysians, including people’s elected representatives, have seen fit to relentlessly persecute, stigmatise and discriminate all those who have found a safe space to dialogue and share information and knowledge on human rights during Seksualiti Merdeka’s events.
We are Malaysian citizens who are being denied our rights to our identity and self-determination.
The false allegations and ill-intended remarks made to incite hate towards us are completely unjustified. They have further marginalized a group of Malaysians that have long suffered severe marginalization in society. As a United Nations Human Rights Council member, the Malaysian government should be ashamed for endorsing and encouraging such intimidation and scare tactics.
Articles 8(1), 8(2) and 10 of our Federal Constitution explicitly guarantees equality of all Malaysians before the law, protection to all Malaysians from discrimination on the basis of gender as well as our freedom of speech and association. Furthermore, in response to the complaints on violations of human rights of the LGBTIQ[1] community in Malaysia, the National Human Rights Commisssion of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) has affirmed its stand that “all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, are entitled to enjoy their basic rights as human beings”.[2] They have also noted that: “… human rights are for all and the LGBT group is not excluded. LGBT must be respected as human beings and their differences cannot be used as reasons to violate their rights. There can be no justifications for acts such as name calling, bullying and infliction of bodily harm against them.”[3]
Seksualiti Merdeka stands for everyone who believes they have a right to make their own decisions over their bodily autonomy and bodily integrity. We firmly oppose all forms of stigma, discrimination, and persecution targeted to interfere and deny our rights to our sexuality.[4] Sexuality is an integral part of the personality of every human being. Its full development depends upon the satisfaction of basic human needs such as the desire for contact, intimacy, emotional expression, pleasure, tenderness, and love.
Sexual rights are universal human rights based on the inherent freedom, dignity, and equality of all human beings. These principles and values are very explicit in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and the United Nations Charter that Malaysia and other countries have signed in order to become members of the United Nations. By signing, Malaysia agreed to the preservation of our humanity as a world of nations and to do all that is necessary to uphold the dignity of every human being. The day Malaysia loses its humanity is the day that all hope for a better Malaysia dies.
The Malaysian government should, in fact, condemn all forms of discrimination, stigmatisation and threats of violence and murder in the name of any religion or belief system; and uphold the human rights of the LGBTIQ community and sexual rights as human rights. It is in the protection of the individual’s human rights that community rights are upheld. Clearly, this is what democracy is all about.
The Malaysian government should uphold our right to conduct peaceful forums, workshops and performances. The intimidating displays of hatred and ignorance towards us and calls for us to be shut down demonstrate why we absolutely need a safe space and event like Seksualiti Merdeka.
The blanket ban on Seksualiti Merdeka’s programme this year is unprecedented as we have been conducting similar events over the past few years. In the interest of the safety of our participants, we will not proceed with all public events of Seksualiti Merdeka while we seek a meeting with the Inspector General of Police YB Tan Sri Ismail Omar to explain the objectives of Seksualiti Merdeka.
We would also like to express our regret that Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, whose sole role was to officiate the opening in her personal capacity, has been defamed by those who aggressively and violently oppose the protection, respect, promotion and fulfillment of the human rights of the LGBTIQ community in Malaysia.
Finally, we express our heartfelt gratitude to numerous sectors of the Malaysian society who continue to support our work and the right to discuss our human rights issues. We remain committed to creating an enabling environment that will help reduce such unreasonable hostility, such as the incitement of fear and paranoia, caused by the lack of understanding of sexuality issues as human rights issues.
[1] LGBTIQ: Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, intersex and queer.
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