Latest news with #institutionalreform
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
File police report over false testimony at inquiry, Suhakam urged
Suaram executive director Azura Nasron said a police investigation will not hinder Suhakam's work, as a police report targets specific legal violations while the public inquiry serves broader institutional reform. PETALING JAYA : Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has urged the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to lodge a police report against Taiping prison officers accused of lying under oath during its ongoing inquiry into the Jan 17 assault at the facility. Suaram executive director Azura Nasron said this is not the first time that the officers have misrepresented the facts. Azura said that in March, several gave false denials, even in the face of incontrovertible evidence such as CCTV footage. She said this pattern of dishonesty raises serious concerns about the integrity of future witness accounts and the investigation as a whole. 'If Suhakam fails to act now despite what appears to us as glaring evidence of false testimony, it risks setting a damaging precedent for future inquiries, and dents the independence, effectiveness and integrity of its human rights protection mandate as an A-status national human rights institution,' she said in a statement. The public inquiry has seen at least one prison warden publicly rebuked by Suhakam for lying under oath, after CCTV footage proved his denials false. Azura also dismissed claims that a police investigation would hinder Suhakam's work, saying a police report targets specific legal violations, while the public inquiry serves broader institutional reform. She warned that delaying action would send the wrong signal about tolerance for false testimony and weaken public confidence in the inquiry's outcome. Contacted by FMT, Suhakam chairman Hishamudin Yunus said he would refrain from commenting while the inquiry is ongoing.
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
PAS leaders may have broken laws with cow, bull analogy, says minister
Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the PAS leaders may have breached several provisions in the Penal Code with their remarks. PETALING JAYA : Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said PAS leaders may have broken several laws by comparing women leaders to animals and citing the Quran in defending the analogy. In a post on X, Azalina said the PAS leaders may have breached several provisions, namely Sections 509, 504 and 298A of the Penal Code. The three sections deal with insulting the modesty of a person, intentional insult to provoke a breach of the peace, and actions that cause disharmony, respectively. She did not name the leaders, but uploaded two articles which identified Maran PAS Youth information chief Salman Al Farisi and party deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. 'To whom it may concern: if you are still comparing women leaders to animals in 2025, congrats! 'Do better, or lawyer up,' she said, in an apparent sarcastic jab at Salman and Tuan Ibrahim, who had defended the youth leader. Azalina also said those who incorporated religion into their argument could be committing an offence under Section 507B of the Penal Code that deals with insulting words. On Monday, Malaysiakini reported Salman as comparing men to bulls, and women to cows when emphasising the importance of men in leadership roles, based on his experience in livestock farming. Salman had claimed that a cow would usually lead the herd, while bulls serve to protect the herd. He said society should, therefore, avoid elevating women to leadership positions, and that men should assume leadership roles in accordance with Quranic teachings. Earlier today, Tuan Ibrahim defended Salman, saying such analogies were used in literary works and not meant to degrade women. 'In Islamic literature in the past, there are works such as 'Kalilah wa Dimnah', which are filled with analogies and stories about animals, used to convey teachings and moral values,' he was quoted as saying. He said he saw nothing sexist about Salman's remark.
