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There is no other way to start this closing address than to say how impressed I am by the level of debate and public speaking over the last three days. The debaters and speakers were articulate; they were earnest. They embraced whole-heartedly the human rights motions put before them. More importantly, however, this debate symbolises what we already know we are capable of. Talking without offending; listening without judging; and understanding that just as my rights are mine and they are not negotiable, your rights are yours and they are not negotiable. The wide range of topics debated was also indicative of how far reaching human rights are. How human rights extend to all facets of our lives and to all communities.Sixty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was propounded as a vision, to be adopted as the world standard in our treatment of each other. Gatherings like this add vibrancy to the discussions on these rights and prove that we can discuss these ideas intelligently and respectfully. We can learn from each other no matter what our own opinions on a particular subject are. Debates are an expression of human rights and democracy where everyone is given the opportunity to speak his/her own mind. In the last three days, you have debated detention without trial, same sex unions, cultural relativism as a ground for opting out of human rights, the right to an adequate standard of living and State responsibility, the right to instruction in mother tongue languages, the right to privacy, the obligation to provide asylum and refuge, and indigenous people’s rights. How often have we been put in situations where we had to argue the other side or listen to the other side? Freedom of expression is not only the right to stand up for what we believe in, and communicating those ideas with our fellow human beings, it is also the defence of the same right to those whose ideas oppose our own. For every person has a right to be treated as he would like to be treated in the same way that we ourselves would like to be treated. I am not going to go through with you the various articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I am not going to go through with you the jurisprudence that support and define those rights; tempting as that may be to a lawyer. Neither am I going to go through with you your country’s and my country’s commitment to human rights. However, I am going to share with you what for the last three days of debate had been emphasised again and again. Human rights are not lofty, they are not unattainable. Human rights are within us. Human rights must be lived, they must be breathed. Human rights must be practiced and shared. Human rights must be nurtured and protected. It is often said that human rights are inherent, inalienable and indivisible. What does this mean? I can tell you what it does not mean. Inherent does not mean they cannot be destroyed. Inalienable does not mean they cannot be taken away. And Indivisible does not mean they cannot be denied. What it really means is that, when we allow another person’s human rights to be violated, the rights of all of us, as humans, are somewhat diminished - for we are human first; our other identities second. We are not a federation of Chinese, Indians, Malays and, in the famous Malaysian categorisation, others. We are not a federation of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. We cannot afford to be part of the human race only through the intercession of our communities. We must not subscribe to identity-based separatism, dividing ourselves into them and us. In a world of competing interests, it is easy to negate human rights on the altar of other priorities. But this we must not do. We must realise that all our interests are inter-linked, even the attainment of those priorities. We must be eternally vigilant that not only do we enjoy human rights, but that we protect and extend them so others can equally enjoy human rights. We must also remind ourselves that the attainment of human rights is not a one-time achievement, but a continual struggle. For in the human chain of life, we are only as good as the weakest amongst us. Lastly, on behalf of the Bar Council Human Rights Committee, I would like to thank our sponsors for their faith in this Human Rights Debate. I would also like to thank the Bar Secretariat who had toiled endlessly, depriving themselves of sleep and play, to ensure the success of this event. Most of all, I would like to thank you, the participants, without whom, this human rights debate can never be a success. Leadership is the ability to change things. Tonight I applaud each and every one of you, a leader and bearer of change. As John F. Kennedy said, “The future is not inherited, it is achieved”. It is thereby my pleasure to declare the Human Rights Debate 2008, concluded.
Zarizana Abdul Aziz
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