AS we head into the 13th general election since independence, it is time to review Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s human rights record. Many bold promises have been made since he took office in April 2009. Have they come to pass? Or have we gone two steps forward and two steps back and remained in the same place?
Printing Presses and Publications Act
Najib’s legal reforms legacy
Holding Court By Ding Jo-Ann
Malaysia will be more open and democratic with “revolutionary” new laws that will herald a “new era”, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Really? Has Najib made good on his promises? We take a look at the prime minister’s legacy of legal reforms since Malaysia Day 2011.
Why the government fears satire
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
WHY is the government charging someone for writing a satirical piece? On 2 Sep 2010, Irwan Abdul Rahman, a Malay Mail executive editor was charged over a blog posting entitled “TNB to sue WWF over earth hour.” Irwan’s posting on his website Nose4news was below a huge banner with the words “The truth is out […]
Suhakam nails it
By Gan Pei Ling“The Malaysian government appears to be more interested in pursuing short-term political advantage rather than safeguarding rights,” says Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson. But the government begs to differ…
Court allows judicial review of banned book
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Aug 2009: The High Court (Appelate and Special Powers Division) here today allowed an application by Sisters in Islam (SIS) for a judicial review of a book which the government banned. Judicial Commissioner Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof made the order after listening to arguments by senior federal counsel Noor Hishamuddin Ismail who […]
“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 […]
Gerakan Youth opposes use of PPPA on internet
By Deborah LohPETALING JAYA, 12 June 2000: Gerakan Youth is against a Home Ministry proposal to use the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 on the internet media. Youth chief Lim Si Pin criticised the suggestion by the ministry’s secretary-general, Datuk Mahmood Adam, who was reported in the China Press recently as saying that the act might […]
Booksellers want clearer guidelines
By Zedeck Siew(Pic by James Long) PETALING JAYA, 29 Jan 2009: The government should consistently update laws governing the book industry so that they are specific and take into account the realities of the business, the Malaysian Booksellers Association (MBA) said. “We should revisit the rules every year,” MBA secretary Keith Thong told The Nut Graph in […]
