Salads and Chocolate
I am by no means a healthy eater, and adopt instead idiosyncratic dietary habits. Salads, for instance, are chosen because they are a healthy source of fiber and nutrition. Fresh vegetables consumed and digested leave me feeling tremendously proud of myself. This, however, sets the prelude for the subsequent unconscionable urge to eat a fair amount of chocolate (insert any other fattening dessert here). An oxymoron, if you wish. The healthy properties of one directly canceled out by the other.Much of what takes place in Malaysia strikes a resembling chord here. It has often disturbed me that our policies effectively cross out each other at a frail attempt at creating a better society.
Take, for example, the very well-intentioned set of programs and activities conducted by the Department of National Unity all around the country. Sports and games, forums and seminars, camps and educational trips galore mushroom throughout Malaysia with the goal of bringing different races together. Whilst it is true that greater exposure and interaction form close bonds between people of different race groups, these relationships are effectively negated when other overarching policies of unequal wealth distribution come into play. Interpersonal friendships can be well and thriving, but when opportunities to access goods are not equal amongst them, that same friendship can turn sour.
Healthy unity activities and programs are just as redundant for inter-ethnic relations as my salads if they are counteracted by chocolaty-policies that govern otherwise.
More recently, the issue of human rights and the police force has taken public prominence, with the numerous public rallies, street demonstrations and memorandum-handing in recent weeks. This includes the Bar Council Walk for Justice, BERSIH march, HINDRAF rally, and just two days ago, the Festival of Rights, all of which involved some level of police action, ranging from firing of tear gas, water cannon spraying, and/or arrests.
Malaysia and human rights has always been an issue of contentious debate amongst observers of Malaysian politics and public space. On one hand, you have Malaysia sitting pretty amidst its other worse-performing South East Asian nations on human rights violations. Malaysia has its own Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) with fat annual funding packages and an ample supply of staff. To top it off with great salad dressing, Malaysia sits on the Human Rights Council internationally. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has even stated strongly that the Palestine resistance is in opposition to oppressive policies and practices of the “Occupying Power” on the basis of human rights. Human rights is therefore a phrase not unknown to our Government at large.
Further healthy salad enhancements as recorded in SUHAKAM’s annual report are its numerous human rights workshops for law enforcers, focusing on the police amongst other groups. These were held with the objective of raising rights awareness, enabling discussions on violations and abuse of powers, and developing officers’ abilities to prepare orders in line with human rights principles. All well and good, wonderful ingredients that contribute to (one would imagine) an equally wonderful resulting human rights-conscious police force.
Multiple arrests have taken place over the span of the last few days. When 31 members of the HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) were arrested in connection with their rally, they were denied bail (a fundamental right of every citizen). Just yesterday, eight people were arrested for turning up at a human rights walk in conjunction with International Human Rights Day (10th December), as well as one more for stopping the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) from taking down banners set up at a privately-owned car park. Many other arrests have peppered our newspapers, and more are expected to take place. It is to the utter disgrace of our police force that a simple gathering of citizens concerned with human rights was disallowed.
The ultimate slap on the face of a Human Rights Council member: performing acts violating human rights principles on the very eve of International Human Rights Day. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?
It’s patching up holes with one hand, but digging the hole even deeper with the other. To every action there is an equal and negative reaction.
One cannot, of course, discount the political struggle at play in this equation. Ultimately, as always, it is a game of position and influence. As the election heat approaches, fundamental principles of human rights all but lie quashed at the bottom of heavy handed feet, most of whom are labeled politicians (note: not police). It was only recently that the former Chief Justice Tun Salleh Abas reminded us of the discreet constitutional changes made to allow the Executive greater powers in the past two decades. This has severely affected, amongst many others, the processes of police permit issuance, where the system itself is now flawed. Denied permits are usually informed too late for one to make consequent appeals at a higher level.
For every ringgit being spent on positive programmes and activities by well-meaning Government departments, another two ringgit are used up, that negate its benefits. It’s eating salad followed by a disproportionately greater amount of chocolates. Human rights training and education mean little, especially for the groups that matter (police force and other law enforcement agencies) if the root policies and practices ultimately fail the citizens whom they are rightfully serving.
Unless we address structural and systemic flaws, coupled with power political play, such patterns will continue to take shape. So, lavish on the chocolates as we mourn the sorry state of Human Rights Day 2007, Malaysia.
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