Over the year, malaysiakini has amplified the voices of many who might otherwise not have been heard. As we head into the festive season, we hear from several of them again as they cross their fingers and make a wish for the new year.
N Sugumar
, 29, who became paraplegic at the age of 18 and whose leg was amputated in November:
I have four wishes to get a job, a place of my own and a new car . I also wish that disabled persons in Malaysia will be able to lead a better life with greater opportunities.
Aneeta Kulasegaran , Vice-President of the Malaysian Association for the Protection of Children:
My wish is for the full implementation of the Child Act 2001 as applies to Malaysian children and for their rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to be respected. We have these instruments in place, but whether the machinery works in another thing.
Tommy Chin
, Secretary of Save Our School committee of SJK(C) Damansara
We hope the original school will re-open soon so that our children can use the facilities again, and that supporters will respond generously to our appeal for funds to run the temporary school. And we hope that our dedicated teachers will continue to produce students who excel in studies and creative thinking.
Fadhil Abdul Aziz , Teacher in Maktab Pengajian Islam Kedah, Kodiang, (a sekolah agama rakyat or people's religious school)
I hope that the government will allow such schools to continue providing religious education to Muslim children. I also hope the authorities will reinstate the annual per capita grant for each student.
Ghiyathudeen
, Activist, Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia
Rohingyas in Burma have received identity cards, but these are not the same as the ones issued to other Burmese. We are not foreigners. We are Burmese.
In Kuala Lumpur, we have only been issued with 'humanitarian' letters by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in place of identity documents. Our lives are difficult (with tough immigration laws). We have been told to expect a major breakthrough on our cases, but it did not happen this year. We can only hope that it will materialise next year.
Dr Ang Swee Chai and Francis Khoo
, Co-founders of Medical Aid for Palestine:
This year, as every year, we wish for peace and justice for the Palestinians .
Article prepared by RK Anand, Chuah Siew Eng, YS Tong, Arfa'aeza A Aziz and Yap Mun Ching.
