| Press freedom and human rights should be Anwars priorities |  |  |  |
| Written by Kazi Mahmood | |
| Tuesday, 11 March 2008 | |
| Boosted by the big wins in the 12th General Elections, the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim must set the right agenda for change in Malaysia. Press freedom, human rights and the fate of foreigners married to the locals should be the priorities on this agenda. The current government does not promote press freedom and limits human rights with barriers that are insurmountable for the weak. The new culture in Malaysia should be to support the freedom of the press – essential to promote democracy and Islam – while the rights of the individuals should be enhanced, says experts. The large victories by the opposition is a message to the ruling class that more space is needed for expression and more respect for the rights of the people altogether. Malaysia is definitely living its days of change and the next happening in the country could well be a total change in government in the next 5 years, WFOL was told from Senegal, where the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) is holding its 11th summit. During the summit, the member states will be asked to review and ratify the new OIC Charter. The new charter is bond to set the agenda for the guarantee of the rights of the individuals and of the people. Malaysia will have to ratify the charter too being the outgoing chairman of the organization however the country did not sign the Asean charter which also guarantees human rights amongst others. The opposition in Malaysia should make it the priority number one to defend these rights and to get the ruling coalition to adopt the Asean charter as well as the new OIC charter in the process. The opposition should now press for the reviewing and amendment of the Newspapers and Periodicals Act in the Parliament. It should also strive for the Suhakam, the official human rights organization to act with more freedom and without hindrances from the authorities. Malaysia is planning to be a fully developed nation by 2020 but it will not go any further if it does not tackle the problems related to human rights, to press freedom and to the rights of individuals who migrate to the country. The world is changing and it is changing fast while Malaysia seems to be stuck in its own mistranslations of the changes that are shaking the world. Migration is an issue that will affect Malaysia further even deeper than what it is currently dealing with. The country is almost always invaded by foreign illegal workers and migrants who are leaving their country of origin to either find better jobs or a new home. Malaysia has tough policies regarding new migrants, people married to locals and even towards investors whose families find it difficult to establish in the country. This is due mainly to the rules and regulations controlled by Home Ministry which sets the standards but fails to address the real issues. Foreign parents find it hard to raise their families in Malaysia with numerous rules and regulations that affect their capacity to earn a descent living in the country. This make it hard for them to provide for their families and it give their children the tendency to believe that they are not welcomed in the midst of other Malaysian children. The OIC itself is currently dealing with migratory issues in Dakar with experts on the matter meeting and pressing the leaders of the 57 OIC member states to look into the issue with less rhetoric and more concrete actions. The Malaysian opposition now headed by Anwar Ibrahim should do its utmost to take advantage of its huge presence in the cabinet to make its views heard but also to get new laws to be voted. The opposition will not have to worry about the consequences of its actions in Parliament by pressing the government to adopt amendments to the existing press laws, human rights laws and to create new laws that will allow foreign spouses to be treated as migrants with respect and rights. |
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