Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is becoming increasingly concerned about "growing tensions" as Malaysians take up discussion of interfaith matters.

"I'm very worried by the tension that has grown among the people following the recent debate on interfaith issues, which was largely based on human rights and individual rights," he told reporters after a briefing by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) in Shah Alam yesterday.

"Complaints of a personal nature - about neighbours' pets or nuisance issues - are increasing, while those of a public nature are dropping."

Describing the state of tolerance as "a worrying trend", the menteri besar said it is important for human rights and the rights of the majority to be weighed together.

"I have noticed that tolerance among youths and residents in Selangor has reached a worrying level. Maybe it's caused by today's affluent and modern lifestyle," he said.

"We must consider the sensitivities of others when discussing human rights, a situation which I think we should handle very carefully. Sensitivities are of utmost importance in a multi-racial country like ours."

To arrest the situation, Mohd Khir said the state has initiated programmes involving political parties, NGOs and community-based groups. Among these are sports activities and Rukun Tetangga (neighbourhood watch) schemes.

"All local authorities have also been directed to appoint counselling officers to handle neighbourhood complaints," he said.

Basic rights

Selangor is the first stop in Suhakam's nationwide roadshow on human rights and about its role in promoting understanding of human rights in order to enhance the relationship between the government and citizens.

About 100 participants from the state government, state assembly, non-governmental organisations, local authorities, and special interest and community groups attended the session on Suhakam's role and functions.

In his speech earlier, Mohd Khir said Selangor was at a stage of determining how its rapid development could benefit every resident.

"This is an effort to ensure that every Selangor resident gets to actually enjoys his or her basic rights, and not merely on a theoretical or rhetorical basis.

"For this, we are trying to reduce the income gap between urbanites and rural residents as well as between bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras."

Failure to achieve this, he said, would result in social instability leading to the erosion of human rights.

"Poverty is the biggest threat to human rights because individuals are prevented from enjoying their basic rights," he added.

"We are attempting to overcome this through the zero hardcore poverty and zero squatter policies where affected people are relocated to new housing areas with proper infrastructures. We should not look at basic rights as only a problem of legal rights but rather as a socio-economic problem."

Issues of concern

During the question-and-answer session, concerns were raised over the rights of neighbours, cases involving deaths in police custody and the rights of undocumented migrant workers.

Kolej Islam Malaya alumni president Abd Manaf Ahmad asked if there was a conflict between Malaysian laws and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in so far as Islam's position in the Federal Constitution is concerned.

He said the UDHR's "wide and limitless" scope was the main source of contention among Arab and Muslim countries.

"In Islam, there is freedom but there is also limits to the freedom, for instance, women and men who seek total freedom. This is where Islam provides the guidelines on human rights," he said.

Abd Manaf suggested that the government's reluctance to sign certain international treaties may be due to a possible conflict or lack of understanding of both sets of legal instruments.

Citing Article 29 of the UDHR, Suhakam chairperson Abu Talib Othman responded that all rights are balanced when considering human rights and national laws.

"Individual rights are balanced with national interests and as long as national laws are subject to the Federal Constitution, there would be no conflict."

To a question on the rights of dog owners based on a recent case of a young boy who was badly injured by three canines, he said it would depend greatly on "good neighbourliness, existing laws and the local authorities".

"Suhakam's role is to assist in enacting or amending laws in line with the changing times and there is nothing that precludes such victims from taking legal action."

To a question on the rights of children to free education regardless of citizenship, Abu Talib turned to Mohd Khir and forwarded the request for flexible admission to schools.

"We appeal to you through your position in the ruling party to push the education minister for a more flexible policy pertaining to school admissions."

A district officer also raised the question of delays in court which he said results in the denial of human rights for those concerned.

Acknowledging this, Abu Talib said a two-day forum would be held from Thursday to raise problems caused by court delays and the relevant measures that need to be taken.

Also present at the briefing were several Suhakam commissioners, Selangor state assembly speaker Onn Ismail and state secretary Ramlan Othman.