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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.5
January 29, 2001
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Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net
Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.
1) EVE BROKE HER SILENCE
By Basil Fernando
The other day Eve spoke- First time ever. Her mouth had been
shut In deep silence All these long years. It was all a lie. She
said that story about the apple And the serpent- A concocted
accusation-against me-the woman. I said the earth Must be shared
by all, And then They just conspired To have the garden All to
themselves And give barren lands To me and descendants. "Who
are they?" a sister asked. The rich men, the affluent ones,
And their priests. There were tears in her eyes- All these
years, All this neglect, All this cruelty. Dear
sisters, reinstate my name, Restore my honour. Let the world know
The great wrong.
Honouring the virgins Was just a trick To blame me. Crowds of
destitute women Pushed to prostitution- The priests did not care
As they did little care for slaves, Our brothers. Vulgar women,
they said to all of us, All of us women.
Let the story of great robbery be told. To confront the lie
lets us be bold. The beauty of the women lies in their will. Let
us show Ornaments of silver and gold- Signs of our bondage; let
us vomit out. Let the loud chorus of my daughters rise, Eve said.
And then Eve smiled. On earth, a great light arose, Empires
fell And human beings regained again Their stolen humanity.
2)
ARE WE GOING ANYWHERE WITH "REFORMASI"??????
The "reformasi" process require that people get
organised and involved in all decision making process without
waiting for the vote at the next election. A reflection sent to
us by Charles Hector
Over the past years - the cries of Reformasi sounded all over
Malaysia. The opposition parties, now known as the Barisan
Alternative (or the BA) appears to have assumed the leadership of
the Reformasi Movement (which was a people's uprising against the
government of the day). The press and the ruling government has
labelled it as a "pro-Anwar movement" (Anwar being the
former Deputy Prime Minister) - but a quick survey of the people
involved seem to indicate that this is not a movement of
opposition party members or sympathisers, and also not a
pro-Anwar uprising. It was indeed the uprising of the people from
all walks of life, ethnic and religious groups, and political
affiliation - who were just reacting to the state of affair of
the country under the present ruling coalition.While many have
joined the opposition parties - many are still out there without
joining these opposition parties. The question is why??
They still come out in protest against the ruling coalition
government - but at the same time they are not in total support
with the opposition coalition. The education system and the
control of the media of this country have left a lot of
Malaysians devoid of ideas for change. What can they do to bring
about change? Is it through the electoral process every 5 years -
some believe not. Why? This is an unanswered solution.
What is required, some believe, is for people to begin getting
organised and involved in all decision making process. They
should begin to get involved actively in Resident's Associations,
Parent- Teacher Associations, Consumer movements, Trade Unions,
Surau Committees, Church committees, Temple committees and
all other people's organisations and bring about changes.
They should stand up and demand for a more accountable and
responsible government - not only the national government, the
state government but also the local governments (the town
councils). This will mean keeping an EYE on Members of the
Parliament on what they have done and doing. After all they are
our "representatives" and they are our
"servants" to communicate our views and ideas and
decisions - not their own or
those of the political party that they belong. The people must
not abdicate their responsibilities for "reformasi" to
these politicians and just vote at the next election. The
"reformasi" process must happen in all quarters.
3)
SEA FISHING MAY THE MOST DANGEROUS OCCUPATION courtesy UN
Wire
The Food and Agriculture Organization said yesterday that sea
fishing may be the most dangerous occupation in the world, with
more than 70 fatalities per day.
The annual death toll for fishermen, estimated at 24,000
worldwide by the International Labor Organization, "may be
considerably lower than the true figure because only a limited
number of countries keep accurate records on occupational
fatalities in their fishing industries," the FAO says in its
new report. The main reasons for the high rate of fatalities, the
FAO says, are the lack of ratification of an international legal
instrument on safety at sea; lack of national regulations, or
where they exist, enforcement; lack of experience in offshore
fishing; and lack of knowledge about navigation, weather,
communications and sea safety.
4)
THE APPEAL FROM AUSTRALASIAN FEDERATION OF TAMIL ASSOCIATIONS
(AFTA), THE BISHOPS IN JAFFNA, BATICALOA AND MANNAR
Australian Tamils fear the ongoing war in Sri Lanka to
escalate at the end of the unilateral cease-fire observed by the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 24 January 2001.( This
in fact has been extended by another month) During the month long
cease-fire, there has been several attempts by Tamils and
international community to persuade the Sri Lankan government to
reciprocate the cease-fire. This includes;
* The massive demonstration by over 10,000 Tamil students and
staffs belonging to the University of Jaffna in defiance of the
Sri Lankan army's orders on 17 January 2001.
* The call for peace made by various local NGOs and by Bishops
of Jaffna, Mannar and Batticoloa. * The requests made by several
Tamil 'moderate' parliamentarians (including a few who had
earlier collaborated with the Sri Lankan regime) to end the war
and begin negotiations with the LTTE. * The welcome call made by
the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka on LTTE cease-fire offer. * The
declaration by the British Minister of State Mr Peter Hain and
European Union Ambassador that the cease-fire provided an
opportunity to pursue talks.
TAMIL AUSTRALIANS CALL UPON THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PERSUADE THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT TO
ENTER INTO IMMEDIATE PEACE TALKS WITH TAMILS.
Posted on 2001-01-29
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