Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Invitation to Attend The 3rd Civil Society Award Ceremony Posted: 09 Dec 2011 05:20 PM PST The KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) will be having its 3rd Civil Society Award ceremony on 12 December 2011. The NGOs, activists and the public are invited to attend in order to acknowledge individuals and organizations on their contributions to civil society and to open up the democratic space. The promotion and strengthening of freedom and democracy depend on the growth of civil society. The purpose of the award is to acknowledge individuals and organizations on their contributions to civil society and to open up the democratic space and at the same time encourage such participation by more individuals and organizations. This award also serves as an evaluation to the civil society organizations and even to the overall performance of civil societies. Besides, we should recognize the importance of civil societies as the third-sector and NGOs are moving our society to be more progressive. We hope that this would encourage the communal organizations to be more open and be more proactive in the public affairs. Individuals who are Malaysian citizens or organizations in Malaysia are eligible for nomination. The Award is given once a year, which can be conferred on up to three individuals or organizations in no particular order. The winner of the civil society award will be announced by the award committee. All nominees will be granted testimonials as recognition and encouragement of their contribution to the civil society while the winner will be awarded RM5000, trophy as well as testimonials. A thematic speech will be delivered at the ceremony as to analyze the concept of civil society and the current situation of the country.
Details of the event: Organizer : The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Date : 12 December 2011 (Monday) Time : 7.00 pm (Dinner provided) Venue : Auditorium of KLSCAH
Agenda: 07.00 pm Registration and dinner 08.00 pm Promulgation ceremony and speeches
1. Greetings by Ser Choon Ing, Chairman of the Civil Society Award Organizing Committee 2. Brief history of the Malaysian civil society 3. "My Consti and the challenges we face" by Edmund Bon, Human rights lawyer 4. Prize Ceremony and Judges' note 5. Q & A section 6. Closing
KLSCAH hopes that this initiative will encourage more individuals and organizations to participate in pushing for social progress and to establish a civil society. The growth of civil society requires participation of all ethnic groups and all segments of the society. We thus invite all to join us in this activity and welcome feedback so that we can move forward to a more open and progressive society. Should you have further enquiry, please do not hesitate to contact the assistant secretary of the KLSCAH, Chia Wei Loon , 03-22746645.
Thank you. Ser Choon Ing Chairman of the Civil Society Award Organizing Committee ____________________________________________________________ Appendix 1: The Award Committee A seven-member Selection Committee shall be formed by prominent scholars and community leaders. The committee will verify the eligibility of nominees and select recipients of the award.
Appendix 2: Criteria for Selection The committee will select recipients of the award according to the following criteria: (a) Playing an important role in defending freedom of political participation and fighting for greater space for social freedom and democracy; (b) Actively promoting the cooperation of civil groups from different background and areas; (c) Initiating and pioneering social reforms; (d) Promoting communications and interactions among different ethnic groups.
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| Government’s handout doesn’t mean freedom of religion Posted: 09 Dec 2011 08:30 AM PST I can't blame the head of the MIC in Sabah for heaping praises on the government for helping the Hindu temples in Kota Kinabalu with a gift of RM50,000. A thank you is only natural and expected for any gift but I feel he has gone overboard by saying it was a proof that there is freedom of religion in Malaysia! First of all, the gift was not meant by the government to prove that it is guaranteeing freedom of religion. It was simply a gift as one of many to help all religious bodies in Sabah. And I think all can see very well that the gift came in too much of a coincidence with the imminent arrival of the next general elections – just like the few "one-off" handouts allocated for in the last national budget. I can also understand that the MIC Sabah leader, being a leader of a BN component, needed to be politically correct by expressing political appreciation, but he must also understand that the money he is receiving is not money from the BN but money from the people! It was the people who voted the BN to become the steward for this money, i.e. to help them (the people), so the handing of the assistances to the religious bodies was in fact a matter of due process, something which should be given as a matter of course, which the BN had not fulfilled for so long. If the BN was more responsible, it would be handing out this assistance all the time on a regular basis! Why? Because the money belongs to the people of all religions in Malaysia and these people are paying their income taxes, and working day and night to produce the GDP to make their country a prosperous nation! It has been repeated time and time again that it is wrong for the BN to keep saying the people needs to be thankful to the BN government for doing this and that for the people, when in fact it is the government leaders who should be thankful to the people for giving them the opportunity to serve the people and enjoy all the salaries and perks, and get themselves rich in the process. But to take on the issue of religious freedom in the country, there is a lot of room for argument if we were to remind everyone how the government has been suppressing religious freedom of the Christians. There is still the unresolved issue of prohibition on the use of certain words especially "Allah," the intrusion into church functions, the burning of churches, the quarrel over dead bodies, the unpublicized bulldozing of Orang Asli churches, the control on the import and publication of Bibles, the marking and numbering of Bibles and so on and so on. In a truly religious society, no one is prohibited from practicing any religion or from switching from one religion to another. This freedom is not fully allowed in Malaysia where as there is no such problem in the world's largest Islamic country, Indonesia. The Hindus by the way is not free from religious pressure if we were to remember the case of cow head kicking and throwing, as well as the disputes about locations, shifting and demolition of temples in the Peninsula. But on the whole the Hindus are admittedly having greater religious freedom because they can even conduct sermons and religious ceremonies on some Astro channels, privileges will most likely be denied to Malaysian Christians. I believe this injustice will change only when the BN is replaced by a new just and open government. DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN Political Activist and Advisor, UK-based Human Rights Foundation Malaysia
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