M'sia given one tight slap on Merdeka Day
'It behoove the government now to recognise all refugees, be it legal or illegal, and be a signatory to the UN refugee convention.'
Aust-M'sia deal failure a 'major embarrassment'
AB Sulaiman: In one fell swoop, the Malaysian government has to undergo three lessons in democracy.
One, in a participatory democracy the people have a say in public policies beyond the general elections. Two, that the rule of law is applicable at all times. Three, that the check and balance between the legislature, executive and judiciary is also applicable at all times.
The Australian government subscribe to all three, thus the reversal of policies. Our own government used to observe and practise them, but not anymore. What a shame.
Changeagent: After 54 years of independence, Malaysia does not even recognise the human rights of its own people, let alone that of refugees.
Freedom of speech, association and peaceful assembly, although enshrined in the national constitution, are merely a figment of the ruling BN coalition's imagination.
One only needs to look at how heavy-handed the authorities were in dealing with demonstrators at the recent Bersih rally to understand this.
Lexicon: On Merdeka Day, our BN government continues to shame our nation and drag our name through the mud.
Wanderer: What was most commendable was to see how the High Court judges in Australia went about their business. The ruling was based on relevant points based on the issue and they acted without fear or favour to the executive. Our judges should go to Australia and attend a refresher course.
Meek: This clearly shows where we stand as far as the international community is concern. We just have to live with it because we are the ones who elected these leaders to helm the nation. Think twice in future.
Docs: Due to poor insight on the part of PM Najib Razak, Malaysia is looking more like state that barters human life for favours. In this case, Najib seem to have gone ahead with this refugee swap deal with Australia so that his administration receives recognition from the Australian government.
Anonymous_5fb: Treating human beings as 'commodities' is despicable. Both governments should be condemned for such 'barter trading' of refugees.
Yohannes: "You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt." - The Prophet Musa/Moses wrote this down as revealed to him in the book of Exodus, chapter 22, verse 21.
Ratify the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees now!
Australian High Court blocks Malaysia refugee swap
Dr Suresh Kumar: This is how a world-class justice system operates, purely based on facts, evidence and truth. This verdict also shows the importance of a free and independent judiciary as one of the pillars of a functioning democracy.
Why should the majority of the people who are fleeing for their lives from dictators and poverty be subjected to be traded or swapped as some commodities for some AUD285 million? What more, to a country that doesn't even treat its own minorities that have been living there for centuries fairly and equally?
Moreover, the Australian Labor government is going against the tenet of the UN's convention on refugees - which they are committed to - by sending them to a country which is not a signatory to that convention and with a poor human rights track record.
Who is going to keep abreast of the well-being of these people like healthcare, education, jobs, etc? One just have to take a look around Kuala Lumpur to see how the Burmese refugees are being treated.
In a nutshell, this inhumane deal isn't going to stop people from fleeing for a better life. As long as there are wars, persecution, racial conflicts, etc, people are going to flee.
Let's treat our fellow humans with dignity and respect. Every human being has a right to live a decent, peaceful and dignified life.
Anonymous_3f4b: This decision shows that the Australian courts are independent and not subservient to government policies that are unjust, unreasonable and goes against human rights, whether citizens, foreigners or illegals.
If the same issue is to crop up in the Malaysian courts, you can correctly guess what the outcome is considering the biased and beholden approach of the Malaysian judges towards the executive.
It behooves on the BN-backed Malaysian government now to recognise all refugees, be it legal or illegal, and be a signatory to the United Nations refugee convention before it can participate in such a scheme in the international arena lest it remain as a pariah in the eyes of right-thinking members of the world body.
Voice: This showed the independence and superiority of judicial institution in Australia. Judges must have high integrity and dignity. It is a big shame to leaders of both countries for a court to rule their deal as illegal and irresponsible.
Soapbox23: Najib and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein have both been given a tight slap by the Australian courts on Merdeka Day. The asylum seekers have also been given true ‘Merdeka'.
Hishamuddin should be ashamed to call himself the grandson of Onn Jaafar.
Mr Teoh: The refugees are correct for not choosing a country like Malaysia.
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