Malaysia’s Racial Discrimination Time Bomb
While across the world in Paris’ northern suburbs race riots are looming again, Malaysia is also having explosive race problems of its own. The Indians have had enough of the blatant bumiputra policy and started with their own race-religion rallying led by the Hindu Rights Action Force. This group deliberately used “Hindu” and not Indian, suggesting that Indian-Muslims are less discriminated than Indian-Hindus. The situation is so serious that the Malaysian government is resorting again to the ISA. Therein lies the problem of the ISA – there is nothing wrong with the Act per se but there is a high chance that it is open to abuse simply because the powerful catch-all legislation is conveniently within arm’s reach. The Malaysians are using the ISA as a threat to maintain order, as if all efforts to use other laws and means to resolve the crisis have been exhausted. The ISA is seen as the first thing that came into the Malaysian government’s mind, rather than the last resort reserved mainly for real terrorists.
Malaysia Threatens Crackdown on Protests
Associated Press
By EILEEN NG
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s prime minister warned Tuesday he may invoke a law that allows for indefinite detentions without trial to curb street demonstrations after two violent protests stunned the normally peaceful country.
On Sunday, some 10,000 ethnic Indians clashed with police at a rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur to demand economic equality, two weeks after thousands of people marched in the capital to seek electoral reforms.
“When it is appropriate to use it, it will be used,” Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted as saying by national Bernama news agency.
Bernama quoted Abdullah as saying that the decades-old Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial, “is a preventive measure to spare the nation from untoward incidents that can harm the prevailing peace and harmony and create all sorts of adverse things.”
“I don’t know (when to invoke the ISA), but ISA will be there,” he was quoted as saying.
An aide to Abdullah confirmed his comments but couldn’t give further details.
The Bar Council, which represents some 12,000 lawyers in the country, warned that the use of the law would be “retrogressive, counterproductive, and smacks of extreme high handedness.”
“Gone are the days when force could be used to solve our problems. We are entering a new era of openness and democracy. A vital part of that process is to hear the voice of the people and to heed their call,” it said in a statement.
Sunday’s rally raised ethnic and racial tensions after police used tear gas and chemical-laced water to disperse the protesters, largely working-class Indians. Government officials denounced the demonstration as an attempt to create racial animosity and smear the government’s image.
The Abolish ISA Movement, an activist group, warned the law would not suppress widespread disaffection in the Indian community but would further inflame their anger.
Street rallies are rare in Malaysia, which prides itself on communal and political peace.
The Indians’ rally was the largest protest in at least a decade involving ethnic Indians, the country’s second-largest minority after ethnic Chinese.
However, Indians say discrimination persists because of an affirmative action policy favoring Malays, who form about 60 percent of Malaysia’s 27 million people. They also complain of religious discrimination, citing the demolition of several Hindu temples by state authorities in recent years.
More than two-thirds of ethnic Indians, who are mostly Hindus and constitute about 8 percent of the population, live in poverty.
Faked – “Burmese tycoon’s son (current Singapore student) sends “boastful” email to friends”
A verified response from UWC, if I read the context right, that came up from a particular mailing list. Old news maybe to a lot of readers, but I want to archive it in the blog for future reference on issues of blog-mob frenzy and believing what we want to believe.
“Recently a newspaper article was published in reference to a student who attends United World College of South East Asia, Singapore. The article is believed to be a fabrication and consists of inaccuracies. Unfortunately, it has since been reproduced in other publication which are now circulating further afield. The original article appeared in ‘The Irrawaddy’ and indicated that the authenticity of the e-mail was unconfirmed; this has liberally been altered of late to ‘believed to be genuine’.
The school does not take kindly to any matter that is likely to bring its name into disrepute. Thus the student in question was interviewed about the contents and nature of the e-mail. It is our genuine belief that the student is neither the author of the e-mail nor has ever expressed such sentiments. The pictures that accompanied the articles were taken from student shared internet site and replicated for the article.
As you can appreciate it is difficult to counter the ‘trial by media’ process. As such, we have no intention of further inflaming these rumours by entertaining a response for the media. The family’s lawyer has written to the newspaper concerned and asked that they print a retraction – unfortunately the syndicated nature of the article means that the damage has already been done. As members of the UWCSEA community we place great emphasis on upholding the values and practices of this wonderful institution. We will neither let any member undermine our reputation but equally not partake in any injustice. We will of course continue to monitor the situation and continue to act fairly and accordingly.”
Singaporeans and the of Outsourcing Protests
Manual low prestige jobs are relegated to foreign workers. Top management positions are open to foreign talents. Protection of sensitive areas and VIPs are accorded to foreign soldiers or Gurkha. And now, protests and demonstrations are outsourced to foreign students. Is this the Singaporean way?
This protest outside Shangri-la is something to watch closely. How will the insecure MIW and its government react? Will they they be more, or less flexible, since foreigners are involved?
The students smartly would not be breaking the law in theory except that it would be clear that if all the separate small 4-man groups wear red t-shirts, then they actually are part of a larger group. So maybe these foreign students are not so clever after all if the government insists on its interpretation of events.
The idea of the government and these foreign students playing chicken pops into mind. The foreign students are probably banking on the hope that the government would practice restraint and dare not deal with them too harshly for fear of upsetting foreign relations i.e. their governments would protest strongly any harsh action by the Singapore authorities. However, the government demonstrated before that it can succumb to foreign pressure but not without some necessary show of nationalistic political will e.g. the Michael Fay caning case. The American citizen’s caning sentence for wanton vandalism was reduced by Singapore in the name of long term political ties with the US, but the insistence on the caning sentence was accepted by the US nonetheless in the name of long term political ties with Singapore. Interstate realpolitik relations suffered a tiny temporary hiccup but those arrested still bore the brunt of the government’s wrath.
So these foreign students, transient protesters, would probably have the book thrown at them and with pockets of “foreign worker” and “foreign talent” xeno-resentments in Singapore, the level of sympathy they can garner from locals is uncertain. The government might take the opportunity to showcase its resolve to prevent all outdoor protests. Since the protesters are not Singaporeans and thus not voters with long memories, they can instead be treated with minimal restraint as a form of deterrence to any aspiring Singaporean copycat activist. Compared to these foreigners, I would probably feel more alarmed and agitated if Singaporean protesters at Shangri-la were arrested instead for trying to be creative and concerned about other issues besides the impending 5% inflation rate.
I am distantly ambivalent if the foreign student protesters are prosecuted. Maybe because, although I cannot substantiate it, I think that they might be trying to show off that they can do it better than Singaporeans or that they are out here to teach Singaporeans how to do it. The White Man’s Burden reinvented?
Singapore – International students to stage protest at ASEAN Summit
16 Nov 07
A group of international students from the National University of Singapore has released a press statement announcing that they will be holding a protest outside Shangri-la Hotel as a mark of solidarity with the Burmese people.
The hotel is the venue of the ASEAN Summit which is taking place from 18-22 Nov 07. The protest will take place on 19 Nov 07, Monday at 11 am.
PRESS RELEASE: Students demonstrate solidarity with Burma at ASEAN Summit
On Monday 19th November at 11am, following the forum held by the SG Human Rights group on the 18th November, a group of university students from around the world will stand outside the Shangri-La Hotel.
They will carry candles and pictures of the imprisoned democratically elected leader of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, in order to peacefully demonstrate their solidarity with the Burmese people.
This is in response to the recent violent crackdowns of both monks and ordinary civilians by the Burmese military regime, and subsequent lapse in international media attention.
It is also in response to the news that the member states will be signing the ASEAN Charter which is to include clauses on human rights.
The students will wear red t-shirts and stand in groups of four to remain within Singapore’s stringent laws against the freedom of assembly. They represent a larger number of students in Singapore who are concerned about the Burmese situation and Singapore’s direct involvement, but are too afraid of reprisals to personally participate.
They also have the support of thousands of students and others worldwide who cannot participate on the day.
Olly Laughland
Jonny Wengrowe
Pia Muzaffar
The Peace Concert at Substation on Sunday
Some of you might have received this email today if you are a member of a particular mailing list. Our nervous police allowed the Peace Concert this time for real as the organisers will hold the event inside the theatre instead of in the indoor garden-courtyard. I still find it peculiar that our police regards the enclosed space at Timbre as “outdoors” but it always about interpretation and we know by now whose usually questionable interpretation is always presented as the right one.
Concert goers – post-concert drinks at Timbre as a sign of support? Timbre – special discount happy hour for concert goers as a sign of support? Support for whom? That is open to interpretation.
Peace Concert for Burma, Sunday 18 Nov, The Substation
WE JUST GOT THE LICENCE!
Peace Concert for Burma
Sunday 18 November
2pm to 6pm
The Substation Theatre
free admissionfeaturing musical performances by
Laras (a Migrant Voices band)
Kevin Mathews
Gene Sha Rudyn & Friendspoetry by
DewT-shirt prints by
Zai KuningThe “Peace Concert for Burma” is a coming-together of some Singapore
artists at The Substation — a small way of saying to the people of
Myanmar that Singaporeans care about their struggles for peace and
democracy. Like many around the world, we watched with great hopes
when thousands of monks and civilians took to the streets in Rangoon
in September; and like so many — from ordinary citizens to world
bodies like the UN and ASEAN — we were shocked by the harsh military
crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.***
(This part below from the email is also interesting. A tentative win-win for all. But I am eager to see a more progressive police the next time.)
***
Admittedly, a “peace concert” effort is very modest, but it is still
something that we can do. Many artists feel strongly about these
events. They have already signed petitions, made donations, attended
vigils, and want to do more. As some of you may recall, The
Substation attempted to present the “Peace Concert” last month in
October in collaboration with Timbre, but we did not receive
permission to do so. Nonetheless, word of the cancellation got picked
up by the international press, so a message did get out, and that was
some consolation. The authorities declined permission last time based
on the event being outdoors in the Garden, so this time we’re
presenting it in the Theatre.
A National Human Rights Mechanism
The Malaysians are in the right direction. Their national human rights mechanism, Suhakam, shows that human rights bodies can be impartial and responsible. A human rights body should not be seen as the government’s bane. If the government of the day sees such bodies this way, then maybe the government needs to be changed. Whatever we hear about corruption, nepotism, lawlessness and bumiputraism in Malaysia, our neighbour has a head start over Singapore on respecting the importance of having a human rights watchdog. With the regional group coming up with a flimsy token ASEAN Human Rights Body soon, will Singapore’s turn to have our own Temasek Human Rights Watch come soon?
KOTA BARU: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has defended the behaviour of police during Saturday’s protest march in Kuala Lumpur.
It said no illegal arrests were made and police reacted only when they were challenged physically during the protest.
Human Rights Commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said the police only moved to quell the protests when the crowd got rowdy.
“Suhakam monitored the entire protest from morning till evening. I think it was on most accounts a peaceful demonstration and police reacted accordingly,” he said after a human rights dialogue with the people here.
The demonstration, organised by the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) – which called for more transparency in the next general election, caused major traffic jams throughout the Klang Valley.
Subramaniam added that Suhakam would propose to the Government to have a system to allow for peaceful demonstrations in the country as it was part of freedom of expression.
He said that the proposal would be forwarded to the Government in light of unhappiness expressed by certain quarters over their rights to hold demonstrations in the country.
The system calls for peaceful demonstrations to be held in open areas, far from urbanised zones and the organisers have to ensure that the law is not breached.
It also calls for ample notice to be given to the security authorities to ensure there would be no untoward incidents, Subramaniam said.
Suhakam vice-chairman Tan Sri Simon Sipaun said he received complaints that when Barisan Nasional holds a demonstration, no action is taken.
“I think a system to conduct a peaceful sense of demonstration can be looked at. One which does not disrupt the daily lives of residents and far away from urban settings,” he said.
Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who also attended the dialogue, said human rights was a basic democratic right, so the Government should go ahead and allow peaceful demonstrations and that action should be taken only when the protesters throw stones or injure people.
Burma and ASEAN
How the Burma issue will be addressed will show how serious ASEAN wants to be as a responsible and influential regional bloc like the EU. So far, ASEAN wants to downplay the Burma embarrassment. The ASEAN Charter, the pride of the coming ASEAN Summit, will be overshadowed by the Burmese problem. Singapore, as ASEAN Chair, is probably irritated that the world would be watching how Burma is admonished rather than applauding the ASEAN Charter.
Myanmar woes won’t trip up Asean Charter: FM Yeo
Nazry Bahrawi
nazry@mediacorp.com.sg
DESPITE the troubles in Myanmar, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo does not foresee any obstacles to the signing of the landmark Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) Charter here this month.
“It will have great implication for the future and for our common destiny and we are looking forward to it,” said Mr Yeo yesterday. Its signing next week, he added, would be a “time for celebration”.
Mr Yeo also described the Asean People’s Charter — floated by regional civil society groups last week as a symbolic charter upholding human rights principles — as an “attractive idea”.
“I am quite sure that civil society in Asean will have an important role to play, but this (Asean People’s Charter) will not be in the nature of a legal agreement,” said the Minister.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a dinner for visiting Brunei ministers, led by the Sultanate’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.
Calling it a “good meeting of mind”, Mr Yeo said: “I’ve briefed him (Prince Mohamed) on my visit to China and Japan and our meetings with UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and various things that are connected with the issue of Myanmar.”
Asked if he is confident that Mr Gambari, currently in Myanmar, can achieve “substantive results” — such as the freeing of more political prisoners — Mr Yeo replied: “Well, we have got to see.”
The Minister also hopes Mr Gambari will be given “full access” to meet certain people.
During his last visit, the United Nations representative was denied access to some opposition political leaders although he got to meet democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League of Democracy twice.
Said Mr Yeo: “It is very important that there should be progress before the leaders meet in Singapore later this month.”
Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday responded to a letter submitted by 88 Generation Students — a movement comprising leaders involved in the 1988 Myanmar uprising — urging Singapore to take tougher action against Myanmar.
In the reply, Mr Chi Chiew Sum, Special Assistant to Minister Yeo, wrote: “Singapore is very concerned about the situation in Myanmar and how the developments there have affected the people of Myanmar . As Myanmar is part of the Asean family, the developments there will have broad ramifications for Asean and also the region.”
Throwing Singapore’s weight behind Mr Gambari’s mission to help Myanmar achieve peaceful national reconciliation, Mr Chi added: “The process will require genuine dialogue involving all the parties, including the military, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy. A stable Myanmar is important not only for the future of the people of Myanmar, but also for the region as a whole.”
The Foreign Ministry official also reiterated the Republic’s stand that “Singapore agrees that regime change will not solve the problem in Myanmar”.
On government right of replies again
“We would like to assure Mr Law that our police officers are trained not only to know the law and their powers under the law, but also how to handle difficult operational situations with sensitivity, flexibility and balance while upholding it.”
The challenges of applying theory to practice when MIW politics and policing are rolled into one, is easier said than done. Nevertheless, some old habits are hard to break.
Oct 29, 2007
ST Forum Letter
Police trained to handle difficult situations
I REFER to the letter, ‘No ‘maybes’, police action should be sound’ by Mr Law Sin Ling (ST, Oct 27).
Senior Minister of State Ho Peng Kee was seeking to clarify in Parliament that the police officers on duty that day did not act in a high-anded manner. However, with hindsight, on the specific issue of the two police officers asking the two men to remove their T-shirts, he was of the view that this was perhaps overly cautious and probably an over-reaction.
Police officers must always be prepared to make a judgment call when confronted with a tense and dynamic situation on the ground. This is obviously not always easy or straightforward. In that particular situation, the priority in the minds of the two police officers in attendance was to prevent a breach of the peace or a law-and-order situation from developing. Their action was understandable.
In any tense and emotional situation, actions taken by the police should not inadvertently escalate tension and so contribute to the very outcome they are trying to prevent. Hence the decision by the police officers was to engage and seek, in the first instance, the voluntary cooperation of the two people involved. This was an approach that was calibrated, restrained and appropriate in the circumstances. The effective resolution of the incident attests to this.
The two men could, of course, refuse to cooperate. If that had happened, then the police officers would have had to decide whether to interview them on the spot at a quieter location or invoke the law to compel their attendance at the police station. An option, as Mr Law alluded to, is by way of summons.
We would like to assure Mr Law that our police officers are trained not only to know the law and their powers under the law, but also how to handle difficult operational situations with sensitivity, flexibility and balance while upholding it.
Toh Yong Chuan
Deputy Director
International and Corporate Relations Division
