Why is the Home Minister reluctant to engage with HRW?

Question

Accepted Answer

Home Minister's Reluctance to Engage with HRW Remains Unexplained

The specific reasons behind the Home Minister's reluctance to engage with Human Rights Watch (HRW) have not been officially stated. However, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has suggested that such an engagement would be an opportunity for the Home Minister to publicly demonstrate the absence of repression and a climate of fear in Malaysia, and to disprove accusations that the federal government is criminalising peaceful expression.
Allegations of Criminalisation of Peaceful Expression

Human Rights Watch released a 145-page report titled “Creating a Culture of Fear: The Criminalisation of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia”. This report accuses the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of employing repressive legislation, including the Sedition Act, to investigate and detain individuals for engaging in peaceful expression since 2013.
Call for Engagement to Disprove Accusations

Lim Guan Eng stated that it would be unwise for Putrajaya to disregard the HRW report, emphasizing the organisation's affiliation with the United Nations. He posited that the Home Minister should engage with HRW to provide clarification and evidence to counter the report's findings, unless there is an undisclosed reason for avoiding such dialogue.
HRW's Attempts for Clarification Ignored

Brad Adams, executive director of HRW's Asia division, claimed that attempts by the organisation to obtain clarification from Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have been ignored. The report itself details accusations stemming from events and actions that have occurred since 2013 under the current administration.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

Why is the Home Minister reluctant to engage with HRW?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends