Day: July 1, 2016

Tony Fernandes joins Amnesty International’s Global Council

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Source: FMT News

Tony Fernandes (left), AirAsia Founder and Group CEO said that he joined Amnesty International when he was 13. Salil Shetty (right) is Secretary- General of Amnesty International. Pic taken from FMT News.

Tony Fernandes (left), AirAsia Founder and Group CEO said that he joined Amnesty International when he was 13. Salil Shetty (right) is Secretary- General of Amnesty International. Pic taken from FMT News.

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Founder and Group CEO Tony Fernandes is joining Amnesty International’s Global Council (AIGC), the organization announced on Friday.

The Global Council was established in 2013 to help raise public support and financial resources to fuel the organization’s expansion in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

“It’s an honour to welcome Tony Fernandes and his entrepreneurial spirit and creativity to our Global Council,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary- General of Amnesty International (AI), in a statement.

Having such a notable business figure from Asia on the council will boost the visibility of AI, he added. “It will help boost the human rights issues we focus on in Asia and around the world.”

Fernandes was quoted as saying in the same statement that he joined AI when he was 13.

“Being a member taught me the importance of human rights to human dignity,” he said. “I am therefore honoured to be able to give back to Amnesty International as part of its Global Council.”

He went on to say that he looks forward to creating awareness and driving engagement in Asia, particularly among Asean youth. Read more →

Retain our tried and tested methods — Ismail Merican

Raevathi Supramaniam

Source: The Star Online

LIKE many Malaysians, I am disturbed by the current developments and directions our country is taking. Race and religion seem to be used as tools to gain popularity and leverage by individuals who appear to be oblivious to the negative repercussions that may ensue.

This motley group of people comprises politicians, religious leaders and spokespersons of minor NGOs. They believe that by doing so, they will move the whole nation closer to God.

Some have caused irreparable damage by encouraging Muslim parents not to vaccinate their children. This is the height of absurdity and reflects the huge knowledge gap they seem to have on the benefits of vaccination.

Granted there may be side effects but the benefits of vaccination in the prevention of disease far outweigh its risks and millions of lives have been saved by it.

Then there is the issue of herd immunity. If fewer people are infected with the disease through vaccination, fewer people can spread it to others.

Therefore, people who are not vaccinated are less likely to contract the disease if those around them are protected. The proportion of the community that needs to be individually immune to a disease in order to provide herd immunity is higher for diseases that are more contagious. Read more →

MEDIA STATEMENT: Moving of Voters across DUN and Parliament is against the Federal Constitution

Raevathi Supramaniam

Source: Bersih.org

The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0) calls for the Election Commission (EC) to explain why voters have been moved to a different DUN and Parliament constituency. This happened resulting from the recent “locality correction” exercise undertaken by the EC.

Preliminary analysis showed that 118,774 voters have been moved to a different DUN constituency, of which over 40,000 voters were also moved to a different Parliament constituency, although their address remains the same.

Example 1: 2,208 voters in Bandar Utama Batang Kali, Selangor were voters in the Batang Kali DUN in the 2013 General Elections. After the locality correction exercise, they have been moved to the Kuala Kubu Baharu DUN.

Example 2: 37 voters were voters in the Indera Mahkota Parliament constituency (Pahang) in the 2013 General Elections, but they have been moved to the Kemaman Parliamentary constituency (Terengganu).

The number of voters moved in several DUN and Parliament constituencies are large enough to affect the outcome of an election. The following are the top five DUNs and Parliament constituencies which has the highest number of voters’ movement: Read more →

Dancer walks free after court rules yellow balloons at PM event ‘not insulting’

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

Dancer Bilqis Hijjas speaks to reporters outside the KL Magistrate Court, July 1, 2016. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Dancer Bilqis Hijjas speaks to reporters outside the KL Magistrate Court, July 1, 2016. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 ― Dancer Bilqis Hijjas was today acquitted of insulting behaviour by dropping yellow balloons during an official event attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife in a mall last August.

Magistrate Mohd Faizal Ismail said the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against Bilqis, ruling that it had not shown that her action with the balloons amounted to “insulting behaviour”.

He pointed out that the definition in the dictionary by the country’s leading Malay-language authority Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka requires an alleged “insult” to be aimed or felt by a person, but pointed out that no one had been insulted by Bilqis’s actions. Read more →