Singing and dancing for human rights

Hundreds paid tribute to human rights by attending the Rock4Rights event organised by the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee (BCCLC) in Penang yesterday.

Held at the historical Fort Cornwallis, Esplanade, the 12-hour musical affair saw a total of 18 local bands performing live, rocking and rapping songs promoting civil liberties.

Many of the groups had performed in the in the ‘Radio Demokratika' and ‘Bangkit' albums and had their fans coming to watch them.

The two albums were produced by local people's movement Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia and local indie art community Frinjan, joint organisers of the event.

So engaged were the audience to the bands that many started swaying and dancing in front of the stage. Several youths even tried to join the performers on stage but were quickly prevented by security guards.

A ‘special appearance' by PKR vice president and Lembah Pantai MP,  Anwar ( right ), who performed a few numbers at 5.30pm was the highlight of the day.

Thirteen NGOs also participated in the event which had 37 stalls selling food and beverages, arts and crafts, CDs and T-shirts.

Those yet to register as voters for the coming 13th general election were in for a pleasant surprise as there were voter registration booths around.

It is not due until 2013 but speculation is rife that a snap election could happen as early as this year.

Multi-racial crowd

Greeting the multi-racial crowd during its evening launch was Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, who expressed delight at the music of the younger generation.

Music is not merely a personal pleasure, but a platform to contribute to the nation, he told the audience.

Sharing some lessons on human rights, Ramasamy pointed out that the word "democracy" is missing in the Constitution although Malaysia is a democratic country.

"But what is democracy?" he asked the attentive spectators, adding "It is a word that is closely related to the rule of law".

Ramasamy ( left ) said it was a challenge to raise awareness, educate, socialise and demystify legal jargon which has become part of the language of the Constitution.

This is where the MyConstitution campaign - earlier launched on Nov 13, 2009 by the BCCLC- comes in, he noted.

"It is a huge challenge but one that is necessary," said Ramasamy, who represented Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the function.

Supported by Yes, a local internet provider, and news portal Malaysiakini , the carnival chose music as the medium to communicate with youths regarding fighting for their rights.

But to increase the campaign's effectiveness, its core message of upholding the Constitution must not be confined to only youths from the urban sector.

 Penetrating rural areas

BCCLC chairperson Shayredzan Johan said the campaign also hoped to penetrate rural areas as well, and different layers of society.

By organising the concert, Shayredzan said the committee can connect with people of various backgrounds, so that its campaign booklets can be widely distributed.

The Committee has launched eight out of nine phases of the campaign over the last 18 months, where each phase has a specific theme from the Federal Constitution, with its final phase launched last night.

"We use music to connect to the youth, in this way we can speak their language," Shayredzan told reporters when met at the concert.

The voters' registration booth - run by both SABM and representatives from the Election Commission - registered about 50 applicants.

Penangite Jonathan Tan said the low figure was perhaps due to participants at the carnival having a higher level of awareness on issues of election and democracy.

Most were already well aware of their rights, and like himself, would already have registered to vote, he added, suggesting that it would be more rewarding to set up booths in community areas like shopping malls, colleges or universities, to target those above 21.

"Publicity for the event should also be improved by reaching out to others earlier, and in more ways than just on the website, emails or Facebook ," he proposed.