About Us Committees Human Rights Do the right thing : Kayveas slams those who shy away from human rights issues 
| Do the right thing : Kayveas slams those who shy away from human rights issues |
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| Monday, 11 December 2006 08:59am | |
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© The Sun (Used by permission) KUALA LUMPUR: Big organisations and political parties were taken to task for shying away from tackling human rights issues. Describing it as "pathetic", People's Progressive Party president Datuk M Kayveas said when they did this, they ignored issues important to citizens. "I would personally prefer larger participation (on such issues), and human rights should not only be seen to be propagated by non-governmental organisations (NGO's), it should also involve the government," Kayveas, who is also deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said. He said the current impression was that there was a group fighting for human rights, but the government was against it. "It is the wrong impression," he said at the Festival of Rights organised by the Bar Council yesterday to commemorate International Human Rights Day. He was the only party leader from Barisan Nasional who accepted the invitation to attend the event. He said if any human rights issue were raised with him, he would convey it to the government. Asked if the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for detention without trial, should be aboloshed, he said that while many people opposed the Act, some developed countries had adopted such laws to fight terrorism. "So we have to look and see whether there is a neccessity to abolish the Act. Maybe some amendments are required," he said. Some 80-90 NGO representatives took part in a march from Dataran Merdeka to the Perdana Lake Gardens. Bar Council chairman Yeo Yang Poh said it was the second time the council had organised such an event, and the response was better than last year's. During his speech, Yeo said Dec 10 was a day for Malaysians to be concerned about human rights issues. "We have a lot of human rights issues that need to be tackled urgently. We cannot be neutral but have to be pro-rights and pro-freedom so that things can improve. "If we do not gather in huge numbers (to fight for human rights causes), the country will head towards lesser and lesser freedom," he said. The groups at the festival pledged, amongst others, to : - protect and defend the inalienable rights of all human beings, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - treat people with respect and dignity, irrespective of status, gender, race religion and occupation; - defend the rights of all Malaysians even if they hold differing views; - implore the government to fully ratify all international human rights treaties; and - make human rights real in people's daily lives so that men, women and children everywhere can enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want. Comments (1)
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Circular No 023/2012: Talk on ISO 9001 | 2008 Quality Management System Certification
The human rights discourse is not just confined to the deprived and those at the bottom of the social heap. It represents a challenge to the political elite as well.
It must be more challenging for them to govern the politically conscious than to reduce the governed into political pygmies.
It is a choice in the use of power: creative or destructive. Power can be used to create a better society, just as it can be used to dominate others.