Political policing: from Britain to Malaysia – Part 1

Yin Shao Loong traces the development of Malaysia’s special branch. Shao Loong notes the fact that political police indicates the true morality of a political system because they reveal what social groups need to be suppressed in order for the regime to persist. Political policing in the U.S. and Britain reveals them as liberal democracies in name only just like in Malaysia. Instead, the dynamics of racism, patriarchy, class, wealth privilege and vested interest are shown to be constitutive elements of the overall regime via the persecution of Black Panthers, the American Indian Movement, suffragettes, gay rights activists, environmentalists, workers movements, civil rights movements, Occupy and anti-war protestors, and many more social movements.

Australia’s asylum-seeker policy after the failed Malaysia Solution

It could therefore be argued that the failed Malaysian Solution has inadvertently exposed what may be the only solid plank in a Regional Protection Framework. That is the commitment of Australia to take large numbers of UNHCR-processed refugees from a country within our region. Lifting Australia’s quota from Indonesia and Malaysia, and investing in the work of these countries may actually impact on the flow of boats and ensure Australia upholds its legal obligations under international and domestic law.

Malaysia: Struggle for democracy intensifies

A new Malaysia is dawning, writes Dr. V. Suryanarayan, former Senior Professor and Director, Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras. He is currently Senior Research Fellow in the Center for Asia Studies, Chennai. He notes that BERSIH symbolises that intensification of the struggle to democratise Malaysia.

Malaysia – Human Rights Watch 21st annual review

“The Malaysian government is all talk and no action when it comes to human rights,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia
director at Human Rights Watch. “Prime Minister Najib and his ministers are mistaken if they think that floating ‘trial
balloons’ to make badly needed changes to laws and policies is enough to keep Malaysian civil society and the
international community at bay.

Malaysia – Key political risks to watch

Reuters Malaysia risks analysis – Jan 3, 2011.

Another bleak year for Malaysian human rights

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For all Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ’1Malaysia’ slogan, the year was scarred by controversies created by racist utterances of civil servants – from schoolteachers to the assistant Director of the National Civics Bureau (BTN). The government-controlled Malay-language media continued their racist rants on a regular basis. The government’s political will to end racial discrimination was lacking, exhibited by its continued refusal to ratify the Convention for the Eradication of Racial Discrimination.

The ascendancy of ‘Political Islam’ in Malaysia

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Malaysia’s 1957 ‘racial bargain’ has begun to unravel. The country’s ‘Islam with a smiling face’ has become more ideological with Wahhabi-Salafism making deep inroads despite the dominance of the moderate Shafie-school of jurisprudence. Political Islam in Malaysia is ‘state-sponsored’, mainly by the ruling party, and hence, not anti-establishment. The ascendance of Political Islam has sharpened racial and religious fault lines in multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia.

The Internal Security Act in Malaysia: abolish, not reform it

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Malaysians want a government that guarantees the safety of its citizens without sacrificing genuine civil and political liberties. The ISA may have been an appropriate legislative response to the period of violent Communist insurgency, but UMNO’s ongoing misuse of the law, coupled with social demands for greater civil and political freedoms, underlines its archaic character and the need for its abolition.

Malaysia’s ISA – In the name of security

The Human Rights Watch 2004 Report on the use of ISA in Malaysia. The very existence of the ISA and its draconian provisions has acted as a crude form of censorship of political activities and expression. Its past use as a political weapon by the government casts doubt on the Malaysian government’s claim that the ISA is now being used as a necessary measure in the “war on terror” and not for political purposes.

Malaysia’s international role post-September 11

The traumatic event of September 11 has had a tremendous impact not only within Malaysia but also upon its relationship with the re
st of the world. Internally, it has redefined the relationship between the Malay-Muslim and the non-Muslim population. Arguably, a
greater impact has been upon the relationship between the different factions within the Malay-Muslim community itself.
In the international sphere, both in the eyes of the big powers as well as the Muslim countries, Malaysia has found a new ‘positive’ niche. This, in turn, has created further domestic consequences, some unexpected, writes AB Shamsul.