Open-ended vs. close-ended democracy?
Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan
BN vs Bersih: Comparing 2007 and 2011
By Gan Pei Ling
IS Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak a prime minister of reform as he’s been portrayed to be? Is he more respectful of human rights and dissenting views compared to his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? Is he less or more prone to strong-arm tactics? A comparison of how the government treated Bersih in 2007 and how it is treating Bersih 2.0 in 2011 gives Malaysians and the world an indication of whether things have gotten better under Najib or much worse.
Bersih 2.0: “Illegal”, chaos-causing “communists”?
By Gan Pei Ling
Waging war against the king. In cahoots with foreign conspirators. Possible communists. Planning to overthrow the government. Illegal T-shirts. Bersih 2.0 seems to embody many evils to the authorities, who have arrested more than 100 in attempts to stop Bersih’s 9 July 2011 march. But have the authorities gone overboard in demonising the rally? What about Malaysians’ constitutional right to freedom of expression and right to peaceable assembly?
“We cannot afford another Anwar prosecution” (Updated)
By Datuk Ambiga SreenevasanUpdated 3.20pm on 30 June 2009 The following is an excerpt of a public lecture by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan titled Democracy, Law and Human Rights in an Era of Globalisation that was delivered on 23 June 2009 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chevening Scholarship Programme THE Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim prosecution is seen […]
Let the people decide
By Datuk Ambiga SreenevasanIT must be appreciated that the events unfolding in Perak are unprecedented and involve complex legal issues. It is impossible to provide a conclusive opinion on them. Some matters may, however, be addressed generally as a matter of principle. Today 27 assemblypersons in Perak were prevented by the OCPD from entering the state secretariat building, […]
Bar Council to hold forum on privacy
By Shanon ShahTHE Malaysian Bar Council will be holding a public forum on respecting the right to privacy on Friday, 27 Feb 2009. The speakers scheduled for the night are Dr Dzulkefli Ahmad, PAS MP for Kuala Selangor; Fui K Soong, chief executive officer of the MCA’s Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research; Sonya Liew, from […]
Measures under Nizar must continue
By Datuk Ambiga SreenevasanTHE shocking display of vitriol against Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin of Perak by certain groups claiming to advance patriotism in Perak is a disconcerting trend. In a modern and robust democracy such as we claim to be, threats against those who hold different views, seek to enforce their legal rights, or seek to challenge […]
Right to seek redress in court
By Datuk Ambiga SreenevasanTHE present situation in Perak raises many legal and constitutional issues. It is the view of some constitutional lawyers that the prerogative of the Ruler is “non-justiciable” and cannot be reviewed by the courts. Thus, although we, and others, are of the view that dissolution of the state legislative assembly in Perak would have been […]
Govt told to be party to the Rome Statute
KUALA LUMPUR, 21 Jan 2009: The Bar Council has called upon the government to immediately become party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to influence the promotion of international peace and stability. Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said today that the ICC is an independent and permanent court that seeks […]
