Development as Eradication: The Pillage of the Jakun ‘People’s Bank’ of Tasik Chini, Pahang, Malaysia

The political rhetoric of social and economic development in Malaysia is used as a dominant and largely unquestioned discourse to justify the industrialised exploitation of the traditional territories of the indigeneous people of West Malaysia. This paper explores social policy drivers in respect of findings from a condensed ethnography of the Jakun Orang Asli people of Tasik Chini in the State of Pahang. Tasik Chini provides an important example of a wider problem affecting many Orang Asli communities in Malaysia relating to industrial exploitation, but is a case of special interest in respect of its significance as a site of rich and unique biodiversity as well as being the home of one of only two freshwater lakes in West Malaysia. Notably, Tasik Chini is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, of which there are only two in Malaysia, and where the lake and surrounding forests have provided the Jakun villagers with abundant natural resources for subsistence, but now the area is badly eroded and polluted by the ravages of big business. This presents a serious dilemma for the Jakun concerning resisting the destruction of their traditional way of life or to comply with State agendas and collude with their loss of self-sufficiency and autonomy and in so doing raises important questions regarding national social policy drivers and the position and welfare of indigenous people in Malaysia

Balancing freedom of speech and national security in Malaysia

This article examines the essential need to balance freedom of speech and the promotion of national security in Malaysia.It traces the theoretical debate of the nexus of liberty and security.Then it moves toward debating two perspectives of free speech, namely, absolutism and reasonable regulation, which can also be observed in Malaysia.It is argued that the Barisan Nasional government practices comprehensive security and favors national security too much.It limits free speech through several restrictive laws. Critics argue that in reality the restrictions enable the longevity of the regime in power.Therefore, the opposition, civil society, and the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) demand political reform to permit people to practice more free speech.Due to such pressure, the ruling government has introduced the National Transformation Policy (2011–2020), which is yet to be fully implemented. There is doubt as to whether a balance between freedom of speech and national security can be realized

Testing the Mettle of National Human Rights Institutions: A Case Study of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia

In April 2008, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) was informed of the possible downgrading of its “A” status within the UN system, due to its apparent failure to comply with the Paris Principles relating to the status of national human rights institutions. This article explores this threat to downgrade SUHAKAM and the actions which it stimulated on the part of the Malaysian government and SUHAKAM itself. It argues that despite expectations by government and civil society at the time of its establishment, SUHAKAM has directly challenged government on major human rights issues on a number of occasions. At the same time, it has had difficulty persuading government to give effect to its recommendations and has as a consequence drawn strong criticism from civil society for failing to protect human rights that are within the government’s power to rectify