Abstract
This chapter discusses the perceptions and understanding of human security in Malaysia. Putting a premium on the role of civil society, the authors examine threats to human security and the policies of the Malaysian government in areas such as lingering poverty, minority issues, human trafficking, suppression of the freedom of expression, and the plight of the Rohingya refugees. While civil society actors place greater emphasis on the discourse of human rights rather than human security, the government focuses more on the notion of non-traditional security and considers it as part of its comprehensive security. The authors recommend that the government should take the lead in mainstreaming human security by prioritizing policies that empower communities and further opening up spaces for civil society movements through genuine cooperation in order to better address peoples’ insecurities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
This chapter predominantly employs a two-pronged qualitative research method—document analysis and structured interviews. While the initial idea was to approach a wide range of stakeholders from differing backgrounds, we ended up with a higher concentration of interviewees from civil society movements mainly due to the number of positive responses to our interview request.
- 2.
The proposal was toned down to an ASEAN-PMC Caucus on Social Safety Nets but still failed to receive the endorsement of ASEAN leaders (see Cheeppensook 2007).
- 3.
In the 2013 general election, the NF recorded its lowest percentage of 59.9 percent and saw its popular vote dip below half to 47.38 percent for the first time, compared to the opposition’s 50.87 percent.
- 4.
Malaysia’s 13th general election was held in May 2013.
- 5.
Over the last five years, there has been a mass migration of Rohingya people from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Southeast Asian countries. In 2015 alone, about 25,000 fled by boat to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and other neighboring countries. However, they were generally denied settlement in these countries. Malaysia has been one of the intended destinations partly due to its Islamic heritage. In May 2015, more than 3000 boat people were stranded on beaches around Southeast Asia for weeks, capturing the headlines of international and local media.
- 6.
The charge against him was finally withdrawn by the Attorney General in February 2016.
- 7.
SIS has been labeled by a Selangor state religious authority fatwa (religious edict) as “deviant” and by some local religious leaders as “insolent” and “extremist.”
- 8.
SUARAM’s 2014 human rights report provides a long and detailed list of incidents. Some of them include the controversy surrounding the use of the word “Allah” by Malaysian Christians, the continued raids and seizures of bibles, the throwing of Molotov cocktails at a church in Penang, and the cases of unilateral conversions in relation to the conversion of children in custody cases, which led to JAIS stopping a Hindu wedding (SUARAM 2014, 88–103).
- 9.
The NKRAs were cultivated through lab sessions and town hall meetings, allowing the public to become involved in the formulation process.
References
Acharya, Amitav. 1999. Culture, Security, Multilateralism: The ‘ASEAN Way’ and Regional Order. In Culture and Security: Multilateralism, Arms Control and Security Building, ed. Keith R. Krause, 55–84. London: Frank Cass.
Alegria, Kyra. 2015. Civil Society Plays Major Role in Defending Human Rights in Malaysia. The Rakyat Post, December 10. http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/12/10/civil-society-plays-major-role-in-defending-human-rights-in-malaysia/.
Anand, Ram. 2016. Thousands Attend Anti-GST Protest, Police Lock Down Dataran Merdeka. Malay Mail Online, April 2. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/police-lock-down-dataran-merdeka-as-anti-gst-protest-starts-to-form.
Bernama. 2016. National Harmony Bill in Final Drafting Stage, Says Minister. Malaysiakini, January 11. https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326377.
Case, William. 2003. Thorns in the Flesh: Civil Society as Democratizing Agent in Malaysia. In Civil Society in Asia, ed. David C. Schak and Wayne Hudson, 40–58. Hampshire: Ashgate.
Cheeppensook, Kasira. 2007. The ASEAN Way on Human Security. Paper presented at the International Development Studies Conference on Mainstreaming Human Security: The Asian Contribution, Bangkok, Thailand, October 4–5, 2007.
Chong, Terrence. 2006. The Emerging Politics of Islam Hadhari. In Malaysia: Recent Trends and Challenges, ed. Saw Swee-Hock and K. Kesavapany, 26–46. Singapore: ISEAS.
Collins, Alan. 2005. Security and Southeast Asia: Domestic, Regional, and Global Issues. New Delhi: Viva Books Private Limited.
Gomez, Terence. 2014. Don’t Curb Intellectual Discourse. Kinibiz Online, September 8. http://www.kinibiz.com/story/opinions/106573/don%E2%80%99t-curb-intellectual-discourse.html.
Hamid, Ahmad Fauzi Abdul. 2009. Islamist Civil Society Activism in Malaysia Under Abdullah Badawi: The Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) and the Darul Arqam. Studia Islamika 16 (3): 439–470.
Haniff, Hussein. 2012. Statement by H.E. Ambassador Hussein Haniff, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations, on Agenda Items 14 and 117: Integrated and Coordinated Implementation of and Follow-up to the Outcomes of the Major United Nations Conferences and Summits in the Economic, Social and Related Fields; and Follow-up to the Outcome of the Millennium Summit: Report of the Secretary-General (A/66/763), at the Plenary of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, 4 June 2012. https://www.un.int/malaysia/sites/www.un.int/files/Malaysia/66th_session/66unga83_1417.pdf4. Accessed 20 June 2017.
———. 2015. Statement by H.E. Ambassador Hussein Haniff, Permanent Representative of Malaysia at the Security Council Open Debate on ‘Inclusive Development for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security’ New York, January 19. https://www.un.int/malaysia/sites/www.un.int/files/Malaysia/2015-Statements-Security-Council/2015-01-19_-_unsc_open_debate_-inclusive_dev_for_maintenance_of_int_peace_and_security-_f.pdf. Accessed 25 June 2017.
Human Rights Watch. 2012. Civil Society Denounces Adoption of Flawed ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. November. https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/19/civil-society-denounces-adoption-flawed-asean-human-rights-declaration.
Jalil, Haikal. 2015. Time for ASEAN to Review Non-interference Policy in Light of the Rohingya Issue. Sun Daily, May 22. http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1427817
Khan, Amin. 2015. Throwing Light on Crime Statistics. The Star, April 19.
Mak, J.N. 2004. Malaysian Defense and Security Cooperation: Coming Out of the Closet. In Asia-Pacific Cooperation: National Interests and Regional Order, ed. Tan See Seng and Amitav Acharya, 127–153. New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Peck, Grant. 2009. Activists Call New SE Asia Rights Body Toothless. Newsday, October 23.
Pusat Komas. 2016. Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2015. Petaling Jaya: Pusat Komas Malaysia.
Razak, Mohamad Najib Abdul. 2001. Defending Malaysia: Facing the 21st Century. London: ASEAN Academic Press.
Rolls, Mark G., and Benny Teh Cheng Guan. 2014. ASEAN’s Role in the Development of Non-Traditional Regional Security. In Volume 1: Foreign Policy and Security in an Asian Century: Threats, Strategies and Policy Choices, ed. Benny Teh Cheng Guan, 213–234. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.
Sampath, G. 2015. Amartya Sen: National Security Is One Component of Human Security. The Hindu, September 6. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/interview-with-prof-amartya-sen-national-security-is-one-component-of-human-security/article8022388.ece.
Sipalan, Joseph. 2014. Unity Council Presents Three Draft Bills to Replace Sedition Act. Malay Mail Online, June 6. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/unity-council-presents-three-draft-bills-to-replace-sedition-act.
SUARAM. 2014. Malaysia Human Rights Report 2014. Petaling Jaya: Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd.
———. 2015. Human Rights Report 2015 Overview: Civil and Political Rights. Petaling Jaya: Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd.
SUHAKAM. 2015a. Throwing Light on the Aim and Mandate of Suhakam. Malaysiakini, June 1. https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/300337.
———. 2015b. SUHAKAM Annual Report 2014. Kuala Lumpur: Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.
Sun Daily. 2015. GTP, ETP Showing Positive Results. Sun Daily, April 29.
Teh, Benny Cheng Guan. 2009. ASEAN Rights Panel Offers Scant Defense of Victims. Japan Times, August 28.
———. 2012. Introduction: Human Security Development and the Future of East Asia. In Human Security: Securing East Asia’s Future, ed. Benny Teh Cheng Guan, 1–14. Dordrecht: Springer.
Tenaganita. 2015. The Revolving Door: Modern Day Slavery (Refugees). Petaling Jaya: Tenaganita Sdn. Bhd.
UNDP (United Nations Development Program). 1994. Human Development Report 1994. New York: Oxford University Press.
Zain, Zawiyah Mohd, and Mohammad Agus Yusoff. 2015. The Emergence of Civil Disobedience: A Comparison during Dr. Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi’s Era. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 6 (1): 279–285.
Interviews
CSO Source #1. 2016. Francis Loh, then president of Aliran. Interviewed by authors, March 17.
CSO Source #2. 2016. Debbie Stothard, founder of ALTSEAN-Burma. Interviewed by authors, March 21.
CSO Source #3. 2016. Marina Mahathir, board member of Sisters in Islam. Interviewed by authors, March 22.
CSO Source #4. 2016. Aegile Fernandez, director of Tenaganita. Interviewed by authors, January 20.
CSO Source #5. 2016. Hafidzi Mohd Noor, Chairman of MyCare, IKRAM. Interviewed by authors, February 22.
Government Source #1. 2016. Mohamad Azizi bin Azmi, principal assistant secretary at SUHAKAM. Interviewed by authors, February 24.
Parliamentarian Source #1. 2016. Charles Santiago, member of parliament for Klang. Interviewed by authors, January 29.
Parliamentarian Source #2. 2016. Zairil Khir Johari, then member of parliament for Bukit Bendera. Interviewed by authors, April 4.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Teh, B.C.G., Ngu, I.T. (2019). Perceptions and Practice of Human Security in Malaysia. In: Mine, Y., Gómez, O.A., Muto, A. (eds) Human Security Norms in East Asia. Security, Development and Human Rights in East Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97247-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97247-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-97246-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-97247-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)