Archive - 10 September 2002

Does an exam-oriented education system violate the human rights of children? This topic drew mixed reaction from the participants at Suhakam's human rights education conference.

Participants at a human rights and education conference today discuss and evaluate if schools were doing it right in imparting human rights values through religious and moral education lessons to young Malaysians.

The government should release the reformasi ISA detainees as their detention was unlawful, says the Bar Council. It adds that the government cannot arbitrarily detain people and should uphold the rule of law.

As expected, the hot topic in Dewan Rakyat is the amendments to the Election Offences Act, which the government has proposed to ensure that citizens get to exercise their right to vote in an orderly, peaceful setting. But the opposition sees the bill as a tighter chain to their political liberties.

DAP chief Lim Kit Siang says the Election Offences (Amendment) Bill 2002 should be referred to a parliamentary select committee to invite public views. He claims its passage is premature and irrelevant as it does not address electoral abuses.

Two national budget plans are up for comparison, though one remains on paper and the other for implementation next year. Opposition front Barisan Alternatif is planning to reveal its budget in Parliament in the hopes of upstaging the government version.

The fate of troubled Sarawak National Party, or Snap, now rests with the Registrar of Societies. Both rival factions express confidence that the registrar will rule in their favour.

De facto Law Minister Dr Rais Yatim will discuss with the cabinet and Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the recent Federal Court ruling that the police detention of the ISA 5 last year was "unlawful".

After receiving a 'credible and specific' security threat, the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur has decided to close tomorrow — the anniversary of the Sept 11 terror attacks on Washington and New York.

Two weeks ago, Malaysiakini reported that the company tasked to build a multi-billion ringgit paper mill in Sarawak has gone bankrupt. Today, a court petition was filed for the winding-up of the troubled company.

The Information Ministry says it set up a service counter in the Parliament press room in order to assist journalists in their work and nothing more. The service — which includes arranging interviews and distributing written parliamentary replies — is confined to Barisan Nasional MPs only.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad turut menerima hakikat bahawa ketiadaan pekerja asing telah menjejaskan pembangunan di negara ini. Bagaimanapun, beliau mengingatkan para majikan supaya tidak lagi menggaji pekerja tanpa izin.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has acknowledged that the immigration crackdown has hurt the construction industry. The premier also said that employers must now be prepared to fork out the extra cash and hire legal foreign workers.

One year has passed since Sept 11 but America has yet to broaden its myopic views and rectify its careless foreign policy. A wake-up call drenched in blood and destruction has not alerted it to the reality that treating problems the 'American way' invites deadly responses.

Sokongan tiba-tiba untuk Mastina Abdul Hamid, termasuk daripada media perdana milik Umno, telah menimbulkan tandatanya apakah tujuan sebenar pihak terbabit berbuat demikian.

'Extremists', 'traitors', 'anti-government', 'communists', 'a threat to national security'...these labels have been used on citizens ranging from political dissenters to cheating taxi drivers. MUSTAFA K ANUAR looks beyond the labels and sees how they can be used as a cruel form of social control by the powers that be, some downright stupid labels that boomerang on the accuser notwithstanding.

Journalists in Pakistan are concerned over the new press laws approved by the military government. The government claims the laws would reform the media and make it more objective but journalists fear that it will undermine press freedom in the country.