Documentation

IPCMC – THE POLICE ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW

Press statement by Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser, 3 May 2019

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun has been quoted as saying that the police force does not want to hand over the power to take disciplinary action against its personnel to the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). He added that:

“The IPCMC wants to take over the powers of the Police Commission (SPP) under Article140 of the Federal Constitution on issues regarding disciplinary action and investigations.

REGRESSIVE MATRICULATION POLICY PERPETUATES DISCRIMINATION

Press statement by Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser 25 April 2019

Education Minister Maszlee Malik has announced that the Bumiputera quota for matriculation programmes would remain at 90 per cent while increasing the intake from 25,000 to 40,000. Non-Malay admission would only receive an increase from 2,500 to 4,000 places despite the hype about constructing a “New Malaysia” after the majority of Non-Malay voters contributed to PH’s victory at the 2018 general election. The perpetuation of this deeply flawed and racially discriminatory policy is cause for a sense of betrayal amongst democratic Malaysians who had been led to expect more inclusivity and meritocracy from the “new” Pakatan Harapan government.

FIRST, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WANT THEIR NCR LAND

Press statement by Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser 23 April 2019

At the 2019 National Orang Asli Convention at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, the Prime Minister recommended enhancing education and ecotourism as a way of contributing to the economic development of the Orang Asli community. He said the ecotourism sector will create job opportunities and encourage the youth in the community to become entrepreneurs including making handicraft items as well as manufacturing forest-based products.

Education is definitely all-important and so is the motivation to make creative handicrafts. What was missing from the PM’s speech was the central problem all indigenous peoples face in West and East Malaysia, namely, the loss of their Native Customary Right land to logging and (oil palm and now, durian) plantation interests as well as state governments’ so-called “development”.

NOT ANOTHER ROYAL COSMETIC INSTITUTION!

Press statement by Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser, 5 April 2019

It is no longer just an opinion that thus far Royal Commissions of Inquiry (RCI) in Malaysia are regarded as a mere stalling device by the ruling coalition in the face of citizens’ outrage over gross injustice and government indifference. The suggestion by the Pakatan government that yet another RCI will be set up to look into the enforced disappearance of several Malaysian activists has strengthened the suspicion that RCIs in our country have been reduced to “Royal Cosmetic Institutions”.

Any leader of a genuine democratic country founded on the defence of human rights would have responded to such a finding by its National Human Rights Commission by demanding answers from the Police Chief and Home Minister and seeking the immediate release of these “disappeared” Malaysians.

PAKATAN PRECEDENTS IN MB APPOINTMENTS

By Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser, 11 April 2019

The battle royale that is shaping up in Johore over the choice of Menteri Besar may look like a tussle between the Pakatan government and the monarchy over a constitutional principle. The Prime Minister has maintained that the role of appointing the new Johor Menteri Besar lies with the party that won the election, not with the Sultan of Johor. As our constitutional monarchy goes, the PM is right of course except that since the political tsunami of 2008, Pakatan has blinked twice in this battle royale.