Picking Thoughts

PRESS STATEMENT – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) is disturbed by the statement made by CUEPACS Secretary-General, Mr. Ahmad Shah Mohd Zin regarding the number of women in the civil service. We reject discrimination in any form, be it gender, religious or racial discrimination.

IDEAS recognises the immense contribution of women to our nation’s development. We applaud Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s response to Ahmad Shah’s statement, as well the government’s commitment to empower women via the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

When Tunku Abdul Rahman declared in the Proclamation of Independence that this nation “shall be forever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice”, we can be sure he had a dream of a country that does not discriminate against its own citizens on any basis. Any suggestion that there should be discrimination against women in favour of men, or vice versa, is completely against our Bapa Kemerdekaan’s vision of a country based on “liberty and justice”.

IDEAS believes employers should maintain a recruitment system that is blind to gender, race or religion. There shoud be no attempts at social engineering by selecting one group over another as Ahmad Shah seems to be suggesting.

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This press statement was released on February 23 2010 as a response to the Secretary-General’s statement that “such imbalance will have long-term implications on the progress and growth of the country.”

Cuepacs worried about gender imbalance in civil service.

Reduced Crime Rates? Think Again.

Last week, on February 1st, 2010, as I was walking in Hartamas, two men on a motorcycle came from behind me, grabbed my bag, and rode off. It happened in less than 5 seconds – just like that. I had my phone, car keys, house key, purse with all the important documents, my ASB book and various miscellaneous girly items. Everyone was relieved I wasn’t hurt, as so many others have fallen into ditches, scraped their knees and elbows, gotten slashed by parangs, knocked their heads on tar roads – to an extent some had lost their lives to this petty crime.

As this happened, where was the police? Where was anyone to help me? The ‘ane’ from Agros stood helplessly as the men rode off. I had to walk a few hundred metres, frustrated and crying, all the way to the Mont Kiara Police Station to make my report.

2 hours later, I found out that the 7 Eleven store in Hartamas was robbed by two men on a motorcycle. Possibly the same men, possibly not.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) registered an excellent early performance in the National Key Results Areas (NKRA) when it charted a 13 per cent reduction in street crimes last month.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the street crime rate for the fourth quarter of 2009 fell by 7.6 per cent while the crime rate dropped by 3.7 per cent in the last quarter ending December.

News like this makes me want to puke in the faces of our ministers. Are you seriously blind?

A foreigner got shot in Sunrise, Mont Kiara last year when he tried to help a woman whose bag was being snatched. The Bukit Kiara Police Station WAS RIGHT IN FRONT.

American Hero in Stable Condition

Do you really think thieves are scared of the police? Do you think that by having road blocks all over the place you can really reduce crime? Do you truly understand the root of these petty crimes? Poverty. Drug abuse. What have you done to address poverty systematically, efficiently and effectively?

The Police/Traffic Force is heightening road blocks, OPS Sikaps and catching speedsters with fancy new gadgets, but where are the police patrolling the neighbourhoods? What fancy new gadgets have they invented to catch getaway thieves on motor kapcai?

In an effort to meet that target, several initiatives have been implemented including ensuring the presence of police at 50 hot-spots backed up by 3,000 trained Civil Defence and Rela personnel and having 500 closed-circuit cameras in those areas to deter crime.

Wow. Impressive. I feel so safe now.

I just feel like by releasing articles such as the above, the Government is giving a false impression that the country is safe. Someone I know has to house-sit and miss a diving trip because his house was broken into before. Just this afternoon, 2 cars were jacked in front of a row of shop lots near my house. Crime rates escalate especially nearing public holidays like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and others.

Our government should not slack just because there is a drop in crime rates of 13% and are ‘awed’ by it. The government must persevere until we can truly feel safe to walk on the streets of our neighbourhoods again. The Police Force should do more than just sit at the counter writing reports. Rounds shouldn’t take place between 10-5, or any given time, but continuously.

Taking measures into my own hands, I no longer carry girly bags – just a pouch would do. I walk with my car keys in between my knuckles so that the sharp edge sticks out, my phone in my pocket, and I stop whenever a motorcycle pass by me.

Losing our Green Lungs

In a humid and thriving city such as Kuala Lumpur, urban forests are a blessing. Not only do they reduce heat and air pollution, provide home for wildlife, space for recreational activities, they also beautify our concrete jungle with soothing greens. But because they are located within the heart of a city, they are usually prone to development.

The Kota Damansara Community Forest, or KDCF, is one such forest on the brink of destruction.

Located on the outskirt of Kuala Lumpur, KDCF is a secondary forest, part of a defunct Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve gazetted in 1898. It is the oldest forest reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. Kota Damansara is a developing urban area and a fast growing one. To date, the forest reserve has shrunk to a mere 3.5km and is threatened to disappear.

In April 2009, the Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim announced that KDCF will be gazetted in three months’ time. He was also quoted, “Once it is gazetted as a forest, any proposed development must be presented to the public as the public has a say in the forest reserve. We will also let the community take care of the forest.” But sadly, this has not happened.

Some organizations such as Eco Warriors and Wild Asia had conducted tree-planting activities with corporate sponsors at KDCF to heighten public awareness on the importance of our green spaces and to encourage the communities to use and protect our forests by getting involved in various outdoor activities.

Yet these efforts reaped no fruit.

Just recently, Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD) got wind that the tree planting area will be converted into a private housing estate. Jeffrey Phang, vice president of FOKD said that this news is shocking and they had contacted PKNS who repeatedly told them the land was reserved to build an Islamic school.

The plan was first brought to light in 2001, but since nothing has been done, the residents assumed that the plan is dismissed. The residents then got together and hold events to promote the green space and create environmental awareness. Now, news that a housing estate will be erected is causing the residents more confusion and frustration.

This new development will create a traffic congestion issue as the number of residents and visitors to Kota Damansara is increasing.

Furthermore, there was no signage that marked the area for development but rusty fences are being erected at the area. Yesterday, Mr. Phang rallied a few volunteers to tag the tree saplings to claim ownership and hopefully, this effort will save the trees as they were donated by corporate and individuals for Earth Day and World Environmental Day.

Though we cannot stop companies from developing plots of land in an urban setting, public efforts must be made to ensure our urban forests are protected. The civil society can and must stand up to corporate moguls and advocate sustainable development, where measures are taken to ensure development leave as little impact as possible on the surrounding environment and wildlife.

“We hope to establish a united community where we work with the local authorities to build a livable city as advocated by MBPJ,” FOKD

Little men, big industry

Harvesting is a family affair.

Working with a social enterprise that interacts mainly with oil palm plantations, I had an opportunity to step into a plantation in Bintulu, Sarawak.

It was to conduct focus group interviews with smallholders who supply fresh fruit bunches to a nearby oil palm factory preparing for a Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil sustainability audit.

My day-to-day job usually requires me to stay in the office, or even at home, since as an editorial and communications coordinator, my only working tool is my laptop.

But with a background in anthropology, my superior decided to have me, and my colleague Ying along on this trip which took place in December last year.

He was in charge of health and safety guidelines and another associate looked into the environmental aspects while we visited the longhouses to meet with the independent planters.

The ‘real’ longhouses looked nothing like the ones at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching. For one, they seemed ‘vacant’. A lot of the younger Ibans had moved to town for work while the children were sent off to boarding schools because the longhouses were too far from the schools.

The inside of a typical longhouse.

The elders usually go out into their fields in the morning and only return in the afternoon. Nevertheless, we managed to conduct our interviews with a small group, of between 2-10 people, in eight different longhouses within close proximity of the oil palm factory.

The villagers plant crops such as paddy, vegetables and fruits for domestic consumption. For most of the smallholders, oil palm planting is their main source of income, especially for the ones who are already retired.

Prior to planting oil palm, several of the smallholders planted the well-known Sarawak pepper, famous for its distinct taste while others tapped rubber or worked in the logging area.

Because of limitations – pepper is a fragile vegetation prone to diseases and pests, rubber tapping is only feasible under good weather conditions, and logging is best doable when you’re young and able – these smallholders opted to cultivate oil palm because of its market value and high yields.

I discovered several issues – such as high cost of fertilisers, pesticides and seedlings – that are burdening the smallholders. But for most, the obscurity pertaining to their land rights proved to be the most worrisome.

Uncertainty over land rights hindering progress

According to one of the smallholders who is also a village chief, the government had only allowed 5ha of the villager’s land to be developed for oil palm.

The villagers claim to own hundreds of hectares of land which they’ve inhabited for centuries, but the boundary which separates the Native Customary Rights (NCR) land and state land is vague.

He claimed that the state government would not share a topographical map with the villagers which clearly demarcates these boundaries.This, he says, is a way to discourage villagers from developing oil palm and to keep the land free for corporations to develop the land.

The government would reap huge profits from selling the land to corporations rather than giving the villagers the opportunity in agriculture. He also hinted that the state government does not want the Ibans to succeed, and this is a form of discrimination.

Most of the smallholders I talked to expressed an interest in expanding their oil palm plantations, but this obscurity is hindering their plans.

Some smallholders who have planted outside of their 5ha boundary are worried that development will bulldoze their hard work and source of income at any time.

Mohd Naroden, assistant minister in the chief minister’s department said that many people did not understand the concept of developing NCR land, and explained that natives can develop the land in tandem with large companies.

I do not advocate the expansion of oil palm plantations since I recognise the negative environmental and social impacts the industry can have on our planet.

But after spending time with these villagers, I have to acknowledge that the industry has given them a steady source of income and provided better living conditions after the introduction of oil palm in their area.

The issue of land rights is pressing and is not alien to us; over here in Peninsular Malaysia land rights are an issue faced by the indigenous communities and in East Malaysia, it is an everyday court battle.

Whether my source’s claims are true or not, we must address this issue and find solutions to better protect indigenous land rights from exploitation and discrimination.

This article was published in Malaysiakini, January 26th 2010

Rubbish Piling Up in Bangsar

As part of our Citizen Journalism training course, my coursemate Vighnes, Kuna and I stumbled upon a rubbish problem faced by the residents of Flat Sri Pahang in Bangsar. Vighnes and I decided to dig deeper to find the root of the problem and found that the rubbish were not picked up regularly.

We had contacted the previous contractor who was in charge of the clean up, and he said that part of the problem was due to irresponsible residents throwing huge items such as a mattress and a bicycle which clogged the rubbish chute.

Contractor vs residents?

The issue had been picked up by The Star and gained the attention of DBKL:

Sri Pahang Flats Clean Up, Nov 30th 2009

Let’s hope for the best for the residents of Sri Pahang and may this incident serves as a lesson to the residents to be more responsible in their actions, and for DBKL to be more efficient in contracting credible contractors to do the job.

Paradigm Shift: PR and Activism

Moderator Zain speaking to the students.

Shah Alam: Youth activism generally attracts negative attention from the public. In a conventional country such as Malaysia, activism is muffled and widely discouraged. However, the final year students of Public Relations at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) recognized the increased involvement of youths in activism and organized a colloquium titled “The Role of Public Relations in Promoting Youth Activism” on 10 October 2009 to explore the different approaches of PR and provide a platform to discuss youth activism.

The invited speakers were David Gibson of Inter Asia Communications, Sonia Ong of National Council of Women’s Organizations, Niki Cheong of The Star, Khairun Nisa Mohamed Zabidi of Malaysian Youth Climate Justice Network (MYCJN) and Rusyan Sopian of Amnesty International Malaysia. The colloquium covered an array of topics ranging from the influence of social media to discussing the semantics of ‘activism’ to exploring the challenges and issues that NGOs and activists face.

Niki Cheong and Khairun Nisa.

David Gibson highlighted the significance of social media which NGOs and activists should not oversee in communicating their causes. According to their research, 1.8 million Malaysians are Facebook users and growing at a rate of 100,000 each month, 66% of global internet population uses social networks, 13 hours worth of video is uploaded every minute on YouTube, 3 million Tweets go out every day, and 3.6 billion photos are uploaded on Flickr as of June 2009. These figures speak for itself the extent of influence social networks have on today’s net generation.

Over the years, youths have been sidelined in decision-making processes and their voices are seldom heard. But the situation has now shifted as more youths are beginning to make their voices heard in matters concerning nation-building and being involved in an activist movement that is now growing momentum. According to Niki Cheong, youths are “the ambassadors of the country” and engagement must take place as we exchange ideas “that are not static” and “shape each others’ thoughts.” Information is no longer a one-way, top-down communication.

Rusyan Sopian speaking his points.

For Rusyan Sopian, activism is “synonymous with citizenship,” and PR should open the “doors to dialogue.”  It should not be seen as something negative, but a responsibility every citizen should take and be involved in issues that are close to their hearts.  Youth activism does not necessarily mean venting anger out on the streets, but as Sonia Ong puts it, “involves young people having a desire and commitment to affect a positive change in their communities.”

Youth activism should no longer be viewed as a nuisance but a pro-active measure to promote change and PR can be utilized as a tool to shift the general views via strategic and effective communications methods. Malaysia is now entering an exciting period where more youths are being involved and speaking up, as illustrated by MYCJN. Dialogue is possible and is slowly taking place as the PR students of UiTM, a government university famed for its rightist views, had just demonstrated with this colloquium.

What does the final year students have to say on this topic? Coming soon.

Human Rights in the Spotlight: Freedom Film Festival 2009

Amnesty International's "Free Burma" signature campaign and photos of individuals currently detained.

Kuala Lumpur: Human rights activists, lawyers, filmmakers and the general public came together over the weekend of 2-4 October 2009 to attend the screenings of Freedom Film Festival 2009 and to be a part of the award-giving ceremony of the winners.

The film festival attracted an impressive crowd from all ages and background coming from as far away as Philippines and Chile to the Annexe Gallery, Central Market. Brought together by their concerns over human rights and appreciation for independent filmmaking, the public spent the weekend participating in open forums, mingling with like-minded peers and supporting KOMAS and other organizations through petitions and merchandise.

The films screened came from all over the world ranging from light-hearted communal to serious issues pertaining to indigenous people, suppression of human rights, religion, political affairs and the plight of oppressed women.

For this year’s Freedom Film Festival, the awards went to Al-Fatehah Memali by Rahmat Haron, a docu-drama portraying the journey of two musicians to uncover the forgotten story of the Memali Tragedy in 1985; Kayuh by Soh Sook Hwa, a first-hand account of the cycling expedition organized by JERIT (Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas) from Alor Setar and Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur to hand a memorandum containing the 6 major concerns of marginalized groups in Malaysia  and No Silver Lining: A Perak Crisis by The S-ploited, a documentary covering the political conundrum faced by the state of Perak earlier this year.

“(the incident of Memali) must not be seen as a religious issue, but one that spotlights the breach of human rights by the authorities that resulted in the loss of life and liberty,” said director Rahmat Haron.

The Best Human Rights Awards went to Kayuh for its outstanding and inspiring attempt to put a human face and a voice to the demands of everyday Malaysians.

Sitting at number 132 of the Global Press Freedom Index, Malaysia has not been popular among individuals advocating democracy and human rights. With draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act and Official Secrets Act suppressing freedom of expression in Malaysia, one of the effective ways to bring light on controversial issues is through independent films and utilizing the new media to mobilize activism movements.