Corrected at 12.50pm, 22 April 2010 Members of the Orang Asli community in Kampung Chang, Bidor, protesting for their land rights (File pic) “TANAH kami, maruah kami,” said banners at an Orang Asli protest in Putrajaya recently against changes to the policy affecting their land rights. Just three months ago, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri […]
rights
Orang Asli Hospital not fulfilling role
By Ding Jo-AnnKUALA LUMPUR, 22 Mar 2010: A hospital set up by the British to serve the Orang Asli in Gombak is not fulfilling its objectives in part because most of its patients are non-Orang Asli. Dr Selva Vathany Kanapathi Pillai, recently transferred out of the hospital after publicly voicing her concerns, told The Nut Graph that […]
Islam’s special position
By Ding Jo-Ann(Corrected at 12:35pm, 1 Feb 2010) THE Home Ministry’s ban on the use of “Allah” by the Catholic Herald publication has once again raised the issue of Islam’s position in Malaysia. “The special position of Islam is enshrined and protected under the constitution,” said senior federal counsel Mahamad Naser Disa during arguments in Herald’s suit […]
Ratepayers as beggars
By KW MakNot doing wonders for property value(© Robyn Gallagher / Flickr) IN a previous column, a reader requested for help to remove rubbish in Section 5, Petaling Jaya. The rubbish had not been removed for some time. Such requests are not isolated. Other complaints are about pot holes or illegally parked cars outside commercial areas like […]
Patriotism lessons
By Lainie YeohLainie Yeoh is grateful she didn’t have to attend the BTN programme.
Celebrating children’s rights
Compiled by Ding Jo-Ann
ALTHOUGH Malaysia’s education indicators such as literacy rates and school enrolment ratios are comparable to industrialised countries, there are still pockets of children who do not have proper access to education. The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) says the children at greatest risk in Malaysia are non-Malaysian children born in Malaysia. These include refugee children […]
Democratic rights still far off
By Ding Jo-Ann“POST-8 March, [the election results] left civil society exhilarated and giddy knowing that change is possible,” says Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah. “It has strengthened Malaysians as a whole to speak up, organise and demand reform.” Candlelight vigils have become part of the fabric of city life Indeed, since the last general election, Malaysians have been upping their […]
Life in Long Lamai, Sarawak
By Koh Lay Chin
RAPE. Blockades. Native rights denied. Such topics inevitably come up in news about Sarawak’s Penan community, such as the recent highlighting of the rape, sexual harassment and exploitation of Penan girls and women by workers of logging companies. But there are also other less prominent issues that the Penan face day-to-day in their idyllic villages […]
What the task force omitted
by Penan Support GroupPenan children (all pics courtesy of Sofiyah Israa) The Penan Support Group (PSG) would like to acknowledge the important role played by the Jawatankuasa Bertindak Peringkat Kebangsaan bagi Menyiasat Dakwaan Penderaan Seksual terhadap Wanita Kaum Penan di Sarawak (the task force) in the mission to ascertain and establish that the reported rapes of Penan women […]
Making minorities count
By Shanon Shah(source: drsitimariah.blogspot.com) “PAS for all” was an enchanting slogan indeed during the March 2008 general election. It was a sentiment that allowed for a warm partnership to develop between PAS and its eventual Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and DAP. It was also what convinced Malaysians of all races to vote for […]
