Press Statements Archives - Page 6 of 8

The Incoming 3rd Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Malaysia at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva

25 Oct 2018328 Views0

In two weeks time, on the 8th of November 2018, an important proceeding will be taking place at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, in Geneva. Malaysia’s human rights practices will be scrutinised in a mechanism known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). A multitude of recommendations are expected to be made by the UN member countries across the world, from the call for Malaysia to ratify various international human rights treaties to basic issues such as freedom of speech and religion, the rights of stateless persons and refugees, equality between the sexes, inter-ethnic harmony, and many more. MACSA, or in full the Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations in the UPR Process, will be sending a delegation of eight human rights defenders consisting of academics, ...

Press Statements

Oppressing the Rights of Migrant Workers With Unsafe Work Environment

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23 Oct 2018311 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...

Press Statements

P Kasthuriraani must not Mislead Parliament, be more Constitutionally Literate

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18 Oct 2018308 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...

Press Statements

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

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13 Oct 2018330 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...

Press Statements

MACSA Advocates for the Right to Universal Education

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08 Sep 2018329 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...

Press Statements

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

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01 Sep 2018295 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...

Press Statements

WAO is Missing the Points on Modest Clothing

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08 Aug 2018346 Views0

We would like to refer to a letter to the Star dated August 8, 2018 from the Women’s Aid Organization (WAO) headlined “More to focus on than policing women’s clothing”. The WAO seems to miss some rather important points. Firstly, study by the Women's Alliance For Family Institution and Quality Education (WAFIQ) in collaboration with Centre for Human Rights Research & Advocacy (CENTHRA) and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) has shown that as many as 5.7% female Muslim respondents reported that they're not allowed to wear hijab, and out of this, 60.9% is from the private sector. There is a substantial number of women in the workforce in Malaysia who are very distressed that they are not able to choose what they want to wear which happens to be Shariah-compliant clothing. They

Press Statements

MACSA Welcomes Strengthening of Anti-Hate Laws

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07 Aug 2018357 Views0

The Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations in the UPR Process or MACSA notes that the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Religious Affairs in the new Pakatan Harapan government, Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa has proposed the tabling of three Bills, namely the Anti-Discrimination Bill, the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Bill and the Racial and Religious Hatred Act for the Parliamentary Session this October or February next year.[1] The new government has yet to publish a draft of these three proposed Bills. All we know from news reports are that these laws, in particular the proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill aim to curb racial and religious hatred. In short, the proposed Bills seek to criminalise hate speech. The proposed penalties a...

Press Statements

The Sun Still Shines Strong on National Sovereignty

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28 Jul 2018359 Views0

Many of us in the Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations in the UPR Process (MACSA) are lawyers and leading academicians, and the recent article by Eric Paulsen titled ‘The sun has set on Victorian-era laws’ gives us all pause. Eric would have us believe that our nation of Malaysia having freed herself from the shackles of British colonialism must now rid herself of sundry so-called ‘oppressive’ laws enacted during the time our ancestors had to endure the same. These include sections of the ‘archaic’ Penal Code on sodomy (sections 377A and 377B), enticement of a married woman (section 498), insulting modesty (section 509) and of course, the enactment he is currently being charged under for wantonly accusing Jakim of promoting extremism by the preparation of Friday sermons,

Press Statements

Tighten Regulations on Underage Marriage, Instead of One-Size-Fits-All Policy

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25 Jun 2018352 Views0

Underage marriage issue Underage marriages are strongly correlated with poverty and level of education. It happens in any society where there is an imbalance of wealth distribution, and children are the weakest fragment amongst the society and are normally the most victimised. We support measures to stop forced marriages that are potentially harmful especially to very young brides or grooms, physically or socially. We categorically condemn cases where girls were forced to marry much older men, and instances where young girls were treated as objects or commodities as their families try to escape poverty. However, a good policy addresses the needs of all segments of societies. It does not aim for one-size-fits-all solutions, especially in an issue as complex as marriages that are de