Monday 3 March 2008

Is Denial Of Human Rights Consensual?

I wonder if Pak Lah knows what he has unwittingly revealed. The Star Online today reported,

He must be very proud when he explained the process of getting consensus amongst the component members.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the coalition has no qualms discussing a problem among the component parties.

I would make sure that I get everybody’s opinion. If we do not get a decision at the first meeting, we have another meeting.

“There will be no decision until everyone agrees. There is no such thing as one party bullying another party.

It doesn’t matter if it is harder or later. I do not want to make a hasty decision and make the people very unhappy about it,” he explained.

At this rate of consensus building, this should soon be common

Source: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/perry032/impossible/2006_11.html

Actually thanks to this article, it explains a lot on the actual political positions held by MCA, MIC, Gerakan and SUPP in championing the rights of non-Muslims and women as enshrined in the Constitution.

i) Noticed almost all the elected representatives from these parties are conspicuously silent on matters relating to Article 11 (remember the memorandum submitted by later withdrawn fiasco? It must be agreed as a consensus that the act of delivering the memorandum is wrong)?

ii) How about the sexist remarks made by the BN MPs? (They must have, on a consensus basis, decided it is only a harmless joke hence women should not take offense at sexist jokes even if it denigrates them. Otherwise, where are the reprimands? where are the dropping of such MPs from contesting in this general election?)

iii) Also, remember the whole ambiguity relating to Article 121A where the judges can't decide which court is more supreme and the shoving of civil cases with muslims involved to Syariah courts? This has resulted in Lina Joy fleeing Malaysia because she is worried of persecutions and backlashes for embracing Christianity while Subashini deprived of legal recourse to prevent her child being forcefully taken away from her? (Does it mean then, by consensus, BN knowingly agreed to keep this nation-dividing-issue hanging by refusing, when they had 2/3 majority in Parliament, to amend the Constitution to right this ambiguity?)

iv) And how about the indiscriminate destruction of Hindu temples in Malaysia? (They must have, by consensus, agreed with perhaps Semi Vellu shaking his head in agreement the whole way through while MCA, Gerakan and SUPP nodding in acknowledgement?)

v) Planned imposition of annual permit fees on churches operating out of shoplots and factory outlets (with perhaps, blessings and consensual agreement from Bernard Dompok?)

And all these for what? Clean drains, emptied garbage bins and working lamp posts? Is your rights and lives worth only that?

2 comments:

Seaqueen said...

Sigh. You just have to accept the fact that the government is one corrupt and useless government. It gets worse as they age and grow. Usually like grapes, it gets better but Malaysian government seems to be going the opposite way and I don't think Malaysians are surprised by it.

Since when do politicians tell the truth?? All make empty promises to get votes but once it's over, you can't even find their shadow, let alone get their help.

myop101 said...

Dear Seaqueen,

Which is why we need to show to the Makkal Sakthi. The only way to clean the rot now is to force them to evict the government.

BN is not the only supplier of ministers to govern this nation.

Vote for change, vote for opposition!