‘Little progress made on manifesto’

Govt has continued to backtrack on its election promises, say civil society groups

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has continued to backtrack on its election promises by a lack of progress on its reform commitments, say civil society groups.

The report “New Government, Old Tactics” by British human rights organisation Article 19 and international civil society organisation Civicus, found the government has made little progress on its election manifesto and has, in fact, backtracked on its other commitments.

Among issues the government had backtracked on include not ratifying the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The report said the government failed to reform repressive laws such as the Sedition Act 1948, Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 and the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

It claimed that the government had instead used these laws to harass, investigate and prosecute human rights defenders.

“When Pakatan Harapan came into power, I think we all welcomed their manifesto commitments, particularly their promise to reform draconian provisions.

“However, a year down the road we are disappointed the government has yet to share its proposed amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Act or undertake meaningful consultation with civil society with regards to the law,” Civicus researcher Josef Benedict said at a press conference yesterday.

The report also noted concerns on the lack of progress in reforming restrictive laws that impede press freedom.

It said the decision by the government to place the report of the Institutional Reforms Committee under the Official Secrets Act demonstrated that the government was not transparent.

Article 19 Malaysia programme officer Nalini Elumalai also said if the government was committed to reforming repressive laws, it should be consistent by not using them in the first place.

“Put a moratorium on all these laws for the moment, and talk to civil societies on how to amend the law, rather than using it against everyone who is critical of the government.

“With the new Malaysia, we are expecting new approaches, such as with the police and those involved in (other) institutions as well.

“We hope the misuse of power, impunity and the creation of fear among Malaysians will be stopped,” Nalini said.

The report also pointed out the government’s failures and shortcomings clearly demonstrate its lack of political will to follow through on its commitments and take decisive action in promoting human rights in Malaysia.

It called on the government to act with “principle and resolve, and to follow through on their human rights commitments without delay”.