Is Malaysia imitating North Korean intimidation tactics?

YOU OPPOSITION PARTIES,

ARE IN THE UNMO SIGHTS

The Malaysian UMNO / BN federal government are obviously weak and are scared to death of Anwar Ibrahim, not only that they are clearly demonstrating that they are paranoid, undemocratic, authoritarian, dictatorial and they are making Malaysia into more of a ‘POLICE STATE' than it already has been during the past years.

This news report is from Reuters

“(Reuters) - Malaysia has frozen the leave of its police across the country as it braces for possible opposition-led mass street protests, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The order was issued by police official Zaleha Abd Rahman on Friday, the New Straits Times reported.

It quoted unnamed sources as saying the freeze was imposed after an unnamed political party * threatened to call for mass street protests.

The government has been trying to quell growing discontent by the public and opposition after a series of political scandals and a recent steep rise in pump prices of fuel sparked fears about the country's political and economic outlook.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has led Malaysia since independence from British rule in 1957, has seen its popularity plummet since a March general election when the opposition alliance made surprisingly strong gains.

The opposition Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) said the party could call for street protests depending on the government's response to public anger against the recent fuel price hike.

"There's always a plan but we haven't come to a decision on the date and place," PAS treasurer Mohd Hatta told Reuters, when asked if the party planned any protests.”

*The unnamed political party is PKR

This is also reported:

Roadblocks have been set up at all access roads to Kuala Lumpur since 14:00 hours on Saturday 12^th July 2008.

As a result of this police oppression, all motorists entering the city are being unnecessarily delayed, inconvenienced and intimidated.

Malaysiakini update: On Sunday 13^th July 2008 at 18.50

“Police have also obtained a court order to arrest on sight if Anwar Ibrahim and opposition supporters are spotted within five kilometres of Parliament.”

That is really OTT & clearly dictatorial and patently oppressive, is it not?

Malaysia is clearly rapidly deteriorating into dictatorship, ruled by a bigot

A change of government is needed to reverse the rot, is it not?

The goals are clear,

true democracy, accountability, human rights, equality for all, religious freedom, dignity and not subservience under UNMO's racial shite!

Ditto for the UMNO goons

(Click on all images for a larger view)

Vis consili expers mole ruit sua

- Brute force bereft of wisdom falls to ruin by its own weight.

Vox populi, vox Dei

- The voice of the people is the voice of God.

UN Convention on theRights of Persons with Disabilities

EQUAL RIGHTS
FOR THE DISABLED ARE
A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT

Last Thursday, 10^th April 2008, it was reported that Malaysia had finally signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The signing was witnessed by Annebeth Rosenboom, chief of the treaty section at the UN's Office of Legal Affairs, the Malaysian Consular officer at New York Raja Nurshirwan Zainal Abidin, and Malaysia's National Population and Family Development director Aminah Abdul Rahman.

The Convention demands the disabled are equally given all human rights and ensures full and effective participation as well as total inclusion in society, on an equal basis.

The eight general principles of the Convention are:

1. Respect for inherent dignity and individual autonomy;
2. Non-discrimination;
3. Full and effective participation and inclusion in society;
4. Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity;
5. Equality of opportunity;
6. Accessibility;
7. Gender equality and respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities; and
8. Respect for the rights of children with disabilities to develop and preserve their identities.
   

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13^th December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007.

There were initially 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and 1 ratification of the Convention, this is the highest number of signatories in history to a UN Convention on its opening day.

It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century and is the first human rights convention to be open for signature by regional integration organisations.

The Convention marks a "paradigm shift" in attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities.

It takes to a new height the movement from viewing persons with disabilities as "objects" of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as "subjects" with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free, and informed consent as well as being active members of society.

The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.

The Convention was negotiated during eight sessions of an Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly from 2002 to 2006, making it the fastest negotiated human rights treaty.

To date there have been:-

· 127 signatories to the Convention (including Malaysia)

· 71 signatories to the Optional Protocol

· 20 ratifications of the Convention

· 13 ratifications of the Optional Protocol

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities received its 20th ratification on 3rd April 2008, triggering the entry into force of the Convention and its Optional Protocol 30 days later. This marks a major milestone in the effort to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

The Convention will enter into force on the thirtieth day after the 20th ratification or accession. The Optional Protocol will enter into force on the thirtieth day after the 10th ratification or accession.

The Secretary General will convene the first meeting of the Conference of States Parties no later than six months after the entry into force of the Convention, which will elect members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities shall be established at the time of entry into force of the Convention, and shall consist of twelve experts. After an additional sixty ratifications or accessions to the Convention, the membership of the Committee shall increase to a maximum number of eighteen members.

Malaysia has thus far only signed the Convention, this is heartening but half hearted, as Malaysia has not ratified it, nor has it signed the Protocol

• Malaysia signed the convention: 8^th April 2008
• MALAYSIA HAS NOT RATIFIED THE CONVENTION
• MALAYSIA HAS NOT SIGNED THE PROTOCOL

Merely signing the Convention is not good enough, Malaysia, if it is serious and sincere about ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are protected,

(this means that there must be zero discrimination, respect for their dignity and autonomy, universal accessibility, equal opportunity, full inclusion and effective participation, gender quality, respect for the rights of children with disabilities, and the full compliance of all aspects of the Convention and the Protocol),

should also ratify the Convention, sign the Protocol and then ratify the Protocol, only then will the rights of persons with disabilities in Malaysia be able to be fully upheld.

Anything less is totally unacceptable, it demeans and disrespects each and every one of the disabled citizens of Malaysia.

Qui dedit benificium taceat; narret qui accepit

- Let him who has done a good deed be silent; let him who has received it tell it.

One Small Step For The Disabled

The Star reports;

"Show Social Welfare ID to get 50% off on Rapid buses

PENANG: Effective Monday, senior citizens and the disabled registered with the Social Welfare Department need only show the identification cards issued by the department when travelling on Rapid Penang and RapidKL buses to get a 50% discount.

To reduce red tape, the Government has done away with the requirement for them to apply for the Rapid Card, issued by the companies.

“We want to simplify things. It is sufficient for them to show the card issued by the department to obtain the 50% ticket concession," said Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

He was speaking to reporters at the St Nicholas' Home here on Saturday."

Common sense, a very rare thing it seems, has finally prevailed.

The elderly and the disabled should all along have been allowed to use their official ID cards issued by the government, so this is no big deal.

A 50% discount is a small, but nevertheless a welcome discount.

Now the bigger issue, all Rapid Penang Buses are inaccessible for those using wheelchairs, as are many RapidKL buses.

Even the few buses which are said to be outfitted to accommodate wheelchair users, are inadequately designed and are potentially dangerous.

Furthermore the two wheelchairs occupy nearly 50% of the floor space due to the poor floor layout and configuration. The resulting lack of seats will annoy the other passengers and could perhaps make them resentful of the disabled persons in wheelchairs.

These are yet more examples of stupidity and the lack of common sense.

Click here for PETPOSTIVE'S Post re RapidKL & Penang

What about the usability of the Kuala Lumpur LRT systems and the KL Monorail vis-à-vis the disabled and the elderly? That's another story.

Watch this space

Gëzuar!