Amnesty International Malaysia is calling on the Malaysian government to create a clear and strategic roadmap for introducing human rights reforms.
“When first assuming power a year ago, the government had notable intentions to introduce reforms including amending or abolishing repressive legislation and acceding to or ratifying international human rights instruments. However, after a year in power, we see a lack of clear direction towards these reforms. We need to see a plan that is clearly articulated and in the spirit of promoting and protecting human rights in the country,” Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu, Executive Director of Amnesty International Malaysia, said today.
Shamini noted that some of the bold statements of rights reforms made in the past year were swiftly followed by disappointing U-turns, indicating a lack of political will.
NGO folk do a consistent job (for which they are paid) picking out shortfalls in human rights across the world. Their work is invaluable in building public awareness and being vocal is part of the job description.
However, in criticising the present government in such terms for failing within a year to enact promises in the midst of steering a major attempt to chase up the criminals of the previous regime, these guys are in danger of chucking the baby out with the bath water.
Ex-PM Najib dealt with his critics by applying SOSMA and enacting Fake News laws to threaten Facebook critics of 1MDB. Yet this new government is attempting to steer through his trial and that of a host of his collaborators from his thieving abusive regime using proper due process of the law.
Wong Chin Huat, who bravely campaigned for years against oppression, today pointed out that the angry losers of the last election will be tolerated as they urge their followers to ‘wear black’ on the anniversary of the date (despite using divisive and racist language in the process). By comparison he was locked up for urging his own supporters to wear yellow in a similar protest against their oppressive government.
So, the complaining NGOs should be wary of betraying a failure to distinguish p0litical weakness or shortfalls in making progress from genuine tyranny, because then they are misleading the public and not informing it.