Latest news with #CharlesSantiago
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
The 3rd force: why the streets are our last hope
From Charles Santiago We are watching a genocide unfold in real time. In Gaza, children are pulled from the rubble without limbs, entire families are incinerated in their sleep, and the living are left to wander through ash and bone. The videos are everywhere, unfiltered, unbearable. The moral clarity is blinding. And still, world leaders respond with silence, double-speak, or the same hollow choreography of condemnation and inaction. International law, crafted in the aftermath of the Holocaust, now lies in ruins, rendered toothless by the very powers who once swore 'never again'. The institutions meant to prevent atrocity – the United Nations (UN), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the Geneva Conventions – have proven themselves paralysed when faced with a state backed by military might and geopolitical favour. The UN issues non-binding resolutions. The ICC stutters under political pressure. Meanwhile, Western governments continue to bankroll the very forces reducing Gaza to dust. And this is because the structures that were meant to restrain the powerful have instead become tools of delay and denial. And let's be honest: the horror in Gaza is not an isolated moral failure. In Myanmar, the military continues its reign of terror against ethnic minorities and democratic activists alike. And in the pretext of a 'ceasefire', the junta continues to massacre civilians, bomb villages, and receive less global attention than a celebrity trial. This is clearly a system that protects the violent and punishes the vulnerable. It rewards strategic allies and sanctions the expendable. Here's a case in point: while Donald Trump attacked Cyril Ramposa at the White House accusing his government of White genocide, he conveniently ignores the one where 53,000 people have been brutally killed and another 14,000 babies who will die in less than 24 hours. But while Trump didn't invent this architecture, he stripped away its last pretenses. His presidency gave cover to the worst instincts of state power by normalising xenophobia, dismantling rights and protection mechanisms, and cozying up to autocrats. A return to 'Trumpism' does not just signal indifference, but would also accelerate collapse. So where does that leave us? It leaves us with the only force left: the people. A third force. Not governed by treaties or borders, but by conscience. We have seen it before in anti-apartheid movements, in global climate strikes, in women's marches that spanned continents. The question now is whether we can summon that same fury and focus for Gaza, for Myanmar, for the dismantling of a global order that has failed catastrophically. If governments won't act, we will. In our thousands and millions, we flood the streets. We disrupt business as usual. We force governments to sit up and listen to our demands. Because the truth is this: no amount of horror will move those in power. But power will move when the cost of doing nothing becomes higher than the cost of complicity. Charles Santiago is the co-chair of the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Free Malaysia Today
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Charges against Rama reek of political payback, says DAP's Santiago
DAP's Charles Santiago (left) said the timing of the charges against former party colleague P Ramasamy is suspicious as the allegations involving PHEB are not new. PETALING JAYA : Former Klang MP Charles Santiago has expressed concern over the 17 criminal breach of trust charges levelled against former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy, saying it raises suspicions of political payback. Santiago said the timing of the charges against Ramasamy, who has been critical of the government since he quit DAP in August 2023, was suspicious when the allegations involving the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) were not new. The DAP man warned that this move would tarnish public trust in the integrity of government institutions, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. 'The sudden urgency to press charges conveniently timed after Ramasamy's outspoken criticism of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on issues such as nepotism, governance, and institutional decay raises legitimate suspicion of political retaliation. 'This is not just about Ramasamy. It is about the integrity of public institutions that must operate free from political influence. 'When state machinery appears to be weaponised to silence dissent, especially against veteran leaders who have spent decades in public service, it undermines public trust in both the justice system and the government's reform agenda,' he said in a statement. Santiago said the unity government must not revert to the 'playbook of persecution' employed by past administrations. He said Putrajaya must value independent voices that question, critique and hold them accountable, and not meet them with legal intimidation. 'At a time when racial polarisation, economic disparity, and democratic fatigue are real and growing, the last thing Malaysia needs is to distract itself with anything that vaguely hints of political vendettas,' he said. Earlier today, Ramasamy claimed trial to 17 charges of CBT by using RM859,131.29 in PHEB funds between May 2019 and February 2022 without obtaining the board's formal approval. Thirteen of the charges against Ramasamy, who chaired PHEB from 2010 to 2023, were linked to the procurement of a RM779,131.29 gold-plated Thaipusam chariot in 2019. Two charges are linked to RM65,000 in medical assistance to individuals, while two other charges are linked to RM15,000 in education sponsorships.
Malaysiakini
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
'Political payback in legal robes': Charles pans Ramasamy charges
A former lawmaker has described court charges against former Penang deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy as 'political payback dressed in legal robes'. Taking Putrajaya to task, ex-Klang MP Charles Santiago said leadership is about confronting uncomfortable truths, not muzzling them. 'The move to charge Ramasamy...
Free Malaysia Today
13-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Malaysia-Bangladesh labour talks must address cartel issues, says ex-MP
Top officials from Bangladesh are set to hold talks with human resources minister Steven Sim and senior ministry officials in Kuala Lumpur to discuss reopening the labour market to Bangladeshi workers. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Malaysia and Bangladesh must discuss putting an end to cartels in the labour recruitment market when officials from the two countries hold a special three-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur beginning tomorrow, a former MP said. Charles Santiago, the former MP for Klang, said the current system and processes must be reformed, especially the way recruitment agents allegedly linked to cartels operate, by charging fees as high as RM20,000 for Bangladeshi workers to work in Malaysia. Charles Santiago. 'Let's not rush into reopening a broken door. Fix the house first. I caution against reopening the Malaysia-Bangladesh labour market without real reforms. 'The current system breeds corruption, exploitation and debt bondage. We must not go back to business as usual,' he told FMT. According to Bangladeshi daily The Daily Observer, the country's expatriates' welfare adviser Asif Nazrul and senior secretary Neamat Ullah Bhuiyan will represent the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in the talks. They are scheduled to meet human resources minister Steven Sim and senior officials from the ministry tomorrow to discuss reopening the Malaysian labour market for Bangladeshi workers. Santiago said the negotiations must address the dismantling of the syndicate model that had been charging excessive recruitment fees, resulting in debt bondage and labour trafficking. 'Both governments should commit to an alternative mechanism that tracks each Bangladeshi worker from the moment the Bangladeshi government approves their job offer right up to their exit interview and flight back home,' he said. Santiago added that the increasing focus of importing countries on social audits – especially those concerning forced labour, recruitment fees and unscrupulous labour brokers – must guide the discussions. However, he warned that if the recruitment channel was to be reopened, it must come with new safeguards. 'It must have a legally binding agreement framework between both countries, rooted in transparency and accountability at every stage. 'Forget the MoUs, which do not seem to be taken seriously by both sending and receiving countries,' Santiago said. Employer-pay principle Another key reform, Santiago said, was the enforcement of the universally accepted employer-pay principle, which, despite being legally required, was often ignored by authorities. 'Workers should not be paying any money. Employers pay for everything. When a worker has to borrow or mortgage their property to come here, they end up with debt bondage and close to being in a slavery environment,' he said. Santiago also pointed to a report by the Public Accounts Committee two years ago that criticised the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) as a flawed process. Despite the findings, the system continues to be in use. 'I hope the negotiators will pay attention to the FWCMS in their discussion, as otherwise, we will go back to where we came from,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
06-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Santiago urges successor at SPAN to maintain momentum
Charles Santiago has been replaced as SPAN chairman after two years at the helm. PETALING JAYA : Charles Santiago has called on his successor at the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) to carry forward the momentum that has reshaped Malaysia's water sector over the past two years. SPAN today announced that former Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd CEO Abdul Kadir Din had been appointed to chair the water regulator effective yesterday, replacing Santiago. When contacted by FMT, Santiago said his two-year term at SPAN had ended. Santiago previously held the post from November 2018 to April 2020 when Pakatan Harapan was in government. Under Santiago's leadership from 2023 to 2025, SPAN launched an ambitious reform programme focussing on decarbonisation, operational efficiency, governance and anti-corruption efforts. Santiago said these efforts had laid a strong foundation for a resilient water sector that is prepared to meet the challenges of climate change and water scarcity. 'Given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and the looming threat of water scarcity, it is imperative to continue these initiatives to mitigate a potential water crisis in Malaysia,' he said in a statement. Santiago said among SPAN's key achievements during his tenure were the introduction of an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework for water and wastewater operators, the adoption of low-carbon operating systems, and the formation of joint working teams with state water companies like Syarikat Air Perlis. Notably, the pilot project in Perlis is expected to save RM7 million annually by reducing non-revenue water (NRW) — a success Santiago hopes will be replicated nationwide. Santiago said SPAN had also ramped up integrity and anti-corruption programmes, introduced ISO 9000 standards to improve internal efficiency, and launched a nationwide water conservation campaign in late 2024. Looking ahead, Santiago highlighted the importance of building an ecosystem for startups in the water sector, strengthening financial management and governance among operators, and deepening collaborations with international partners such as Singapore's national water agency (Public Utilities Board) and the World Bank. Santiago, a former three-term MP for Klang, said these partnerships should focus on areas such as NRW reduction, technology adoption, financial management, governance and integrity. 'The momentum built over the past two years must be maintained to realise SPAN's full potential,' he said. SPAN is an independent regulatory body for water supply and sewerage services in the peninsula as well as Labuan.
