Author Posts
Press Statements

Oppressing the Rights of Migrant Workers With Unsafe Work Environment

Administrator
23 Oct 2018 311 Views0

Foremost, MACSA extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims killed in the Bukit Kukus landslide on 19th October. MACSA follows the developments in the recent Bukit Kukus landslide incident with grave concerns and apprehension. The scenes unfolding are akin to the landslide in Tanjung Bungah that happened on 21st October last year, which claimed 11 lives, many of whom are migrant workers. Investigations following the Tanjung Bungah incident showed that many environmentalists have warned the authorities and parties involved in the construction project at the area, of the calculated danger in proceeding with the project. Alas, the warnings fell on deaf ears. Malaysia has been a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 1957 and has ratified 18 ILO Con...

Read More
Press Statements

P Kasthuriraani must not Mislead Parliament, be more Constitutionally Literate

Administrator
18 Oct 2018 308 Views0

Recently media reports in particular one by Free Malaysia Today on 16 October 2018 have quoted the Honourable Member of Parliament for Batu Kawan, P Kasthuriraani, urging the Government to “ratify” a certain United Nations General Assembly Resolution, the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. The said Member of Parliament and the general public must understand that it is not possible to ratify a declaration. Declarations are statements of principles that are not legally binding, and are made for emphasis of point, hence the operative word of a declaration. Examples of these are United Nations General Assembly Resolutions, and the declaration referred to by the Member of Parliament is such a resolution that was adopt...

Read More
Press Statements

MACSA Supports Effort to Extend Basic Rights for Stateless and Refugees Children

Administrator
13 Oct 2018 330 Views0

MACSA welcomes the move by the government to allow stateless children to register in national schools as announced by the Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching. Malaysia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which is particularly important when it comes to access to education for stateless children because it explicitly obligates States to implement this right, in accordance with the principles of non-discrimination and the child’s best interests. This is also certainly a step forward in fulfilling our commitment to the 17 goals annunciated under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, in adopting universal education for all. Citizenship requirement barrier has in the past restricted many stateless, migrant and refugees children from benefitin...

Read More
Views

Demand for Tahfiz Schools – Hajah Asral Widad Ahmad Asnawi

Administrator
04 Oct 2018 388 Views0

I am a mother of seven children, five boys and two girls. Two of my children are huffaz, which means that they have completed memorization of the entire Qur’an and one is in progress of memorization. My three youngest children are being trained in Raudhatul Huffaz, a non-governmental tahfiz and tuition organization I founded in 2014. Raudhatul Huffaz currently has 53 branches nationwide including rural Sabah and Sarawak, catering to more than 987 primary level students per year. 50% of the total students are funded by the surplus income of Raudhatul Huffaz. Raudhatul Huffaz was set up with the objective of producing future leaders inculcated with the culture of excellence and love for the Noble Qur’an. We aim to inspire children to achieve high standards, emulating the intellectual gian...

Read More
Press Statements

MACSA Advocates for the Right to Universal Education

Administrator
08 Sep 2018 329 Views0

In conjunction with the 52nd International Literacy Day, the Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations in the UPR Process (MACSA) wishes to remind our country’s leaders, influencers and the general public of the current status of adult literacy and learning. According to the Adult and Youth Literacy: National Regional and Global Trends 1985 - 2015 Report released by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), Malaysia’s literacy rate stands at 95.4%, based on a census conducted last in 2010. It is an notable feat considering that based on prior census conducted in the year 2000, our literacy rate was marked at 92%. The increment clearly shows that our education policy is successful in advancing the literacy rate of Malaysian adult and youth. &nb...

Read More
Press Statements

MACSA releases Joint Submission for Stakeholders Information 2018 in anticipation of Malaysia’s 3rd UPR before the UNHRC

Administrator
01 Sep 2018 295 Views0

In conjunction with the recent celebration of our 61st Merdeka Day and in anticipation of Malaysia’s pending Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this November, being its 3rd to date, we are pleased to grant access for the viewing of the Malaysian public MACSA's Joint Submission for Stakeholders’ Information 2018. This report encapsulates the review and research of Malaysia’s human rights situation and obligations as regards previous UPRs as undertaken by our team here at MACSA and has been submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council on 29 March 2018 for its consideration during Malaysia's forthcoming 3rd cycle of the Universal Periodic Review. It gives us great pleasure in making the same available to you for viewing at your le...

Read More
Views

My reply to Leroy Luar’s ‘rebuttal’ – Azril Mohd Amin

Administrator
16 Aug 2018 335 Views0

Mr. Leroy Luar’s “rebuttal” to my recent piece "Contextualising ongong discourse on LGBT" illustrates why genuine discussion on these topics is difficult. Not only did Mr. Leroy not respond to a single point made in my article, he seems to be responding to a different article altogether. Either this is a deliberate tactic to evade real dialogue, or else it is a matter of being so thoroughly possessed by ideology that he cannot process what is being said without translating it in his mind into arguments his ideology has prepared him to answer. Mr. Leroy took exception to taking a partisan approach to the LGBT issue, and to using religion to judge homosexuality — neither of which positions exist in my article. If there was any partisanship in what I wrote it was not along the lin

Read More
Views

Contextualising ongoing discourse on LGBT – Azril Mohd Amin

Administrator
15 Aug 2018 330 Views0

The present national debate on LGBT issues within Malaysia would indicate that we seem to have leaped into deep and unfathomable waters without ever having established the parameters of discourse. In this regard, Gerakan Pembela Ummah made a pertinent point in their recent press release on LGBT published on August 13, 2018. They had argued among others that debate on whether to grant LGBT rights or accord them treatment has always been an ongoing conundrum due to inconclusive studies yielded by science on the influence of nature, as opposed to the environment, on the causes of this phenomenon that we now collectively face. The question of “Nature versus Nurture” regarding the causes of homosexuality cannot be treated as if it has been conclusively answered; and the classification o...

Read More
Views

5 Prinsip Dasar Islam Jamin Hak Asasi Manusia – Azril Mohd Amin

Administrator
10 Aug 2018 407 Views0

USAHA mewujudkan dasar yang jelas pada peringkat nasional mengenai acuan hak asasi manusia perlu menjadi keutamaan bagi Malaysia yang mempunyai keunikan tersendiri melalui sejarah, budaya dan latar belakang masyarakat berbilang kaum dan agama. Sungguhpun Malaysia mempunyai kepelbagaian seumpama ini, hakikat sejarah dan latar belakang budaya sejak sekian lama membuktikan betapa Islam memainkan peranan signifikan dan kukuh dalam penyediaan asas pemeliharaan dan usaha mempromosi hak asasi manusia yang lebih dekat dengan acuan jati diri watan, hatta sejak sebelum kemerdekaan. Banyak peranan Islam diketengahkan dalam wacana hak asasi manusia, terkini dalam muzakarah bertajuk ‘Pakar Hak Asasi Manusia: Analisis Kritis Selepas 70 tahun Deklarasi Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat (UDHR) 1948’ pada Me...

Read More