The romance of human rights: MALSA human rights forum
Wednesday, 25 February 2009 02:18pm
Contributed by Amos Kok
On Valentine’s Day, 14.2.09, the Malaysian Law Students Alliance (MALSA) together with the Bar Council co-organised a Human Rights Forum to raise human rights awareness due to the many violations of fundamental human rights that have been happening in the country.
The forum took off at 2.30 pm at the Bar Council Auditorium. There were three topics discussed: Human Rights Theory and Reality, Competing Interests - Individual rights vs. State rights: Which should Prevail? and Police Powers: Powers to stop, search and seize (with particular reference to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984).
The forum started with the Welcome Speech by Gregory Marimuthu, President of MALSA. A short three minute video clip was then shown. The rest of the day belonged to the speakers.
Edmund Bon spoke extensively on the first topic where he not only touched on civil and political rights but also on economic, social and cultural rights.
Shanmuga Kanesalingam presented his views on the second topic, and for the third we had Saha Deva and Roger Chan teaming up to give us an analytical view of the wide discretionary powers available to the police. We were taken to the new s28A of the Criminal Procedure Code, and comparisons were made with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 of England and Wales.
Participation from the floor was good. The audience numbering some 35 people were made up from different walks of life from students to parents. They were enthusiastic and took part in the interactive sessions among others, where the participants were required to agree, disagree or were to state that they were unsure about controversial statements and positions on human rights. They were not afraid to voice their views and opinions, as well as share their ideas. It was a two-way learning process throughout.
Human rights as we know it to be is not a “Western” concept inapplicable to “Eastern” culture and practices. It is to be applied across the board in all countries that adhere to the principles of democracy. As President Barack Obama promises to close Guantanamo Bay, Kamunting and Simpang Renggam should be no exceptions.
Further, there is a greater need for rights enshrined in the Constitution to be guaranteed and protected, and for the judiciary to remain impartial and independent. As we move into the 21st-century and towards a developed nation status by 2020, there’s an even greater need for the Constitution to be amended to encompass more rights as may be found in the UDHR.
To some this may have been a very small step but everything starts small. After all, a person’s worth is not measured by the distance between his head and his feet but his head to the sky.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Talk on Intellectual Property Law (10 Feb 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, the talk on “Intellectual Property Law” will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 10 Feb 2012 (Friday). The talk will feature Bahari Yeow Tien Hong. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings (21 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, the seminar on “The Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings”, featuring Sanjeev Kumar Rasiah, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 21 Feb 2012 (Tuesday). Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Conveyancing (24 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar featuring Jeremiah R Gurusamy will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 24 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Mediation Skills Training Course (29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012) Organised by Bar Council, the Mediation Skills Training Course will take place at 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, at Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012 (Wednesday to Sunday). Deadline for registration and payment is 17 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on “Land Fraud: An Australian Perspective” (13 Mar 2012) Organised by IGIL, GSGSG and UUM COLGIS, this free talk featuring Quintin George Rozario of Delta Law, Brisbane, Australia, will take place at 9:00 am, at Dewan Seminar A, Pusat Konvensyen, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, on 13 Mar 2012 (Tuesday). To RSVP, contact Mr Abutt (04-928 4397; abutt@uum.edu.my).
Committees 
Contributed by Amos Kok
Participation from the floor was good. The audience numbering some 35 people were made up from different walks of life from students to parents. They were enthusiastic and took part in the interactive sessions among others, where the participants were required to agree, disagree or were to state that they were unsure about controversial statements and positions on human rights. They were not afraid to voice their views and opinions, as well as share their ideas. It was a two-way learning process throughout. 
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