Umno leaders should stop playing the racial card and take a serious approach in addressing human rights issues, says Suaram.
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno leaders should discard racial issues as showcased in their general assembly last week and focus on resolving human rights issues, says Suaram director Kua Kia Soong.
Speaking to the media after the Suaram Human Rights Awards 2013 presentation, he added that some Umno leaders have praised the late Nelson Mandela as a great freedom fighter and anti-apartheid movement activist, but in Malaysia for instance when it comes to enrollment of non-Malay students into University Institute Technology MARA (UiTM), they (non-Malays) are not allowed to do so, this shows apartheid ideology is practised by Umno.
“This shows a contradiction in the praises and double-standard being practised by the Umno leaders,” said Kia Soong
On another subject, former Suaram executive director Cynthia Gabriel in reference to the Scorpene case, said that it (the case) is not dead yet and French lawmakers are still investigating.
“We took a stand back, to be quiet in respecting the French law and not exposing (details) openly to the public.
“But I can assure you that the investigation is still on-going and even the investigators have found a trail to Hong Kong.
“We hope in couple of months, the investigation will be concluded,” said Cynthia.
Before the start of the presentation event, K Arumugam, Suaram co-chairperson in his welcome speech, urged the government to look into reports and recommendations highlighted by the human rights group.
He added that from last year, the human rights group have urged the government to seriously look into the dire state of human rights issues, but the government is not concerned with the situation and Suaram’s recommendations have ‘fallen on deaf ears’.
New areas of concern
In today’s event, Suaram unveiled the 2013 Overview Report on the Civil and Political situation in Malaysia.
Among notable human rights issues highlighted are detention without trial which states that Malaysia’s August 2013 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report which claims that with the repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 2011, the government continues to use a different Security Offences and Special Measures (SOSMA) and Prevention of Crime Act 2012.
Suaram recorded 12 cases of deaths while in police custody and a total of 124 persons shot dead by the police from 2009 to August this year.
In the report, they stated that press freedom continues to decline in world rankings with Malaysia placed at an all time low position of 145 out of 179 countries, the country’s worst showing since 2002.
At least 26 people were charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012 during the post election rallies and 33 others were charged under the Penal Code for unlawful assembly and rioting.
Another key human rights issue highlighted is the 103 United Nation member states at Malaysia’s second UPR that highlighted the fact that previous recommendations made during the 2009 UPR were still not met.
New areas of concern are emerging such as Malaysia’s poor ratification record on core international human rights treaties; restrictions of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and the preventive detention of criminal suspects for long periods of time without charge or access to a judge.
The Human Rights Award 2013 were won by joint winners Kaiduan dam task force from Sabah and the Taman Permata Dengkil activist group.
The Kaiduan Taskforce that was formed in 2009 to protest the construction of a dam in Kaiduan that is slowly edging past proposal stage.
The other co-winners, a group who fought for their housing woes, became a highlight when some of the flat dwellers ended up living in tents, camped outside their flats for 72 days.
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno leaders should discard racial issues as showcased in their general assembly last week and focus on resolving human rights issues, says Suaram director Kua Kia Soong.Speaking to the media after the Suaram Human Rights Awards 2013 presentation, he added that some Umno leaders have praised the late Nelson Mandela as a great freedom fighter and anti-apartheid movement activist, but in Malaysia for instance when it comes to enrollment of non-Malay students into University Institute Technology MARA (UiTM), they (non-Malays) are not allowed to do so, this shows apartheid ideology is practised by Umno.
“This shows a contradiction in the praises and double-standard being practised by the Umno leaders,” said Kia Soong
On another subject, former Suaram executive director Cynthia Gabriel in reference to the Scorpene case, said that it (the case) is not dead yet and French lawmakers are still investigating.
“We took a stand back, to be quiet in respecting the French law and not exposing (details) openly to the public.
“But I can assure you that the investigation is still on-going and even the investigators have found a trail to Hong Kong.
“We hope in couple of months, the investigation will be concluded,” said Cynthia.
Before the start of the presentation event, K Arumugam, Suaram co-chairperson in his welcome speech, urged the government to look into reports and recommendations highlighted by the human rights group.
He added that from last year, the human rights group have urged the government to seriously look into the dire state of human rights issues, but the government is not concerned with the situation and Suaram’s recommendations have ‘fallen on deaf ears’.
New areas of concern
In today’s event, Suaram unveiled the 2013 Overview Report on the Civil and Political situation in Malaysia.
Among notable human rights issues highlighted are detention without trial which states that Malaysia’s August 2013 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report which claims that with the repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 2011, the government continues to use a different Security Offences and Special Measures (SOSMA) and Prevention of Crime Act 2012.
Suaram recorded 12 cases of deaths while in police custody and a total of 124 persons shot dead by the police from 2009 to August this year.
In the report, they stated that press freedom continues to decline in world rankings with Malaysia placed at an all time low position of 145 out of 179 countries, the country’s worst showing since 2002.
At least 26 people were charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012 during the post election rallies and 33 others were charged under the Penal Code for unlawful assembly and rioting.
Another key human rights issue highlighted is the 103 United Nation member states at Malaysia’s second UPR that highlighted the fact that previous recommendations made during the 2009 UPR were still not met.
New areas of concern are emerging such as Malaysia’s poor ratification record on core international human rights treaties; restrictions of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and the preventive detention of criminal suspects for long periods of time without charge or access to a judge.
The Human Rights Award 2013 were won by joint winners Kaiduan dam task force from Sabah and the Taman Permata Dengkil activist group.
The Kaiduan Taskforce that was formed in 2009 to protest the construction of a dam in Kaiduan that is slowly edging past proposal stage.
The other co-winners, a group who fought for their housing woes, became a highlight when some of the flat dwellers ended up living in tents, camped outside their flats for 72 days.
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