Women in Tudung Should be Free from Discrimination: UMNO Shows Two Faces in Tudung Incidents

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, State Assemblywoman of Damansara Utama on Sunday, 19 January 2014 in Petaling Jaya.

Women in ‘tudung’ as a way of professing her Muslim faith should be free from any forms of discrimination in Malaysia, as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. Nevertheless, UMNO’s different response to discrimination against women in ‘tudung’ in SRJK (C) Nan Ya to that of the multinational retailers in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) clearly showed that it practices “One Malaysia Two Standards”. 

Is Putrajaya Trying to Cover up the Blocking of BBC's "Kangkung" Site

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, DAP Social Media Strategist and State Assemblywoman for Damansara Utama on Friday, 17 Jan 2014 in Petaling Jaya.

The incident of BBC’s “kangkung” article being inaccessible raised red flag on Putrajaya’s commitment to Internet and social media freedom, which is crucial for Pakatan Rakyat victory in the next General Election.

Wanita Bertudung Mesti Bebas daripada Diskriminasi

Muslimah bertudung mesti bebas daripada apa jua bentuk diskriminasi dan prejudis dalam proses pengambilan kerja. Syarikat sepatutnya mengambil pekerja berasaskan merit dan kecekapan semata-mata.

Baru-baru ini suatu status Facebook seorang wanita muslim bernama Mira Kamil telah tersebar luas apabila beliau berkongso pengalamannya melalui diskriminasi terhadap Muslimah bertudung. Beliau tidak diterima di beberapa kedai bertaraf antarabangsa di KLCC hanya kerana beliau memakai tudung. Kisahnya itu disahkan oleh Harian Metro apabila seorang wartawannya menyamar untuk mencari kerja di kedai-kedai tersebut dan ditolak mentah-mentah atas sebab yang sama. Keseluruhan proses itu dirakam dalam sebuah video di YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gCIxfbwMZGo

Open Letter to Prime Minister: Be a Man, Make Your Stand

Dear Prime Minister, 

Since 2 January, our country has once again plunged into the "Allah" chaos, a unique scenario that can be found only in Malaysia. The whole world is laughing at us but that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is this question that keeps lingering in my mind: where does the future lie?

It breaks my heart when I see our country wasting time fighting over the name of God instead of focusing on saving the declining quality of education, the lack of opportunities for the young and the many thousands of rural villages in Sabah and Sarawak that are still deprived of basic necessities.

It also breaks my heart when I see the bond we built as a nation since independence now on the verge of ruin. The gaps between us have just become wider. We have now a situation in Malaysia where someone may have to accept permanent state of inferiority and find himself more like an exile in his own land. This is surely not what our forefathers wanted when they first started this nation.


Mr. Prime Minister,

Malaysia's biggest disease now is hypocrisy. Religion has been repeatedly used to stir up emotions and hatred among the people for political gain. This is not a new weapon, throughout the history it has been used by those who could not prevail, either by persuasion or deeds.

I hope you'll do better than that, don't resort to such schemes to hide your inability to lead and govern.

I remember that you once likened the struggle of UMNO to that of Nelson Mandela's. I would like to remind you that Nelson Mandela had never resorted to splitting his country to gain political power. He stood for what is right and just, even if that meant having to go to jail for 27 years.

I will be very grateful if you, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, posses even the slightest bit of his moral strength. Have you the nerve and the will to stand and speak for what is right?


Mr. Prime Minister,

We must put an end to this "Allah" war soonest possible or it will put an end to our dream as a great nation.

Why are you keeping quiet?

I hate to admit that, but you are the one that should give the final call on the "Allah" issue because only your words will not be twisted and played up by the mainstream media.

We have no time to fight over "Allah" again and again. It is time to fight poverty, corruption, ignorance and incompetency. It is time to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation.

So I ask you now, for the good of all of us and for the love this great nation: please, tell us, how do we move forward?


Mr. Prime Minister,

For your information, my colleagues and I have made a stand as the lawmakers of Selangor after JAIS raided Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM). We stood on the promises of our forefathers as written in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, that everyone has the right to profess, practice and manage his and her own religion.

As for you, you announced the 10-point solution before the election but kept incredibly silent after 2 January. Is the 10-point solution nothing but a tool for you to win power? Does Putrajaya still stand-by the 10-point solution? It is exactly 2 weeks from JAIS's raid but you've made no comment about this. Is this what the Prime Minister supposed to be?

As a lawmaker of Selangor, I have made my stand clear over this issue, the very obligation the people have voted me to do. I am expecting greater conviction and greater courage from you, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

So, be a man, make your stand.

Thank you.


Yours Sincerely,

Yeo Bee Yin

State Assemblywoman of Damansara Utama
16 January 2014

Be a Man, Make Your Stand

A few months ago, I spoke up for Muslim women in tudung against discrimination during recruitment process based on the principle enshrined in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. (See below the statement.) 

On "Allah" issue, I've made my stand and remain unchanged: the Federal Constitution is the law of this land and it provides every Malaysian his or her right to profess, practice and manage his or her own religion. 

Here's what I want to tell our Prime Minister: "Mr Prime Minister, I've made my stand as a law maker of Selangor. Now, you, be a man, make your stand as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. And yes, please remember 10-point solution sir. The whole country is waiting for you." 


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Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, DAP Social Media Strategist and ADUN for Damansara Utama on Tuesday, 10 September 2013 in Petaling Jaya.

Muslim women with ‘tudung’ should be free from any forms of discrimination and prejudice in the recruitment process. Firms should recruit employees based solely on merit and competency.

Recently a Facebook status of a Muslim lady by the name of Mira Kamil has gone viral as she shared her experience of blatant discrimination against Muslim women with ‘tudung’. She was rejected outright in several international retail stores in KLCC based entirely on the fact that she was wearing ‘tudung’. Her story was later verified by Harian Metro as one of their reporters went undercover to try to seek job in the stores and was refused based on the same reason. The entire process being recorded in a YouTube video: 

Muslim women should be free to express their religious belief and there should be no force from the employers or compulsion from anybody to make them wear or not to wear ‘tudung’. Muslim women with ‘tudung’ should be free from any forms of discrimination and prejudice; they should not be at a disadvantaged position in the employment process not to mention outright rejection as what has been reported.

In fact, this issue is not of religion but of justice and equal rights. There is a need to review on whether to explicitly include clothing items in the non-discrimination clause of the constitution of Malaysia as of the constitution of the United State and Mexico. (Article 8 Clause 2 of the constitution of Malaysia states “there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, gender or place of birth in any law or in the appointment to any office or employment”.)

Finally, we would like to urge the companies in Malaysia to treat all the potential candidates equally in the recruitment process. The way a woman chooses to dress speaks little of her characters, competency and capability, which are the most important characteristics of a productive employee. The economy will benefit when companies in Malaysia are free from discrimination and the best employees are hired to run the companies.

News links of the statement can be found here:

1. http://www.roketkini.com/2013/09/10/dap-kecam-diskriminasi-syarikat-terhadap-wanita-bertudung/
2. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/dap-rep-speaks-up-for-woman-in-tudung
3. http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=159251:daps-yeo-slams-firms-for-not-hiring-muslim-women-who-wear-tudung&Itemid=2#axzz2poake0yM

Yeo Bee Yin's Speech in Selangor State Assembly on 21-Nov-2013

Here's the script my speech in the second sitting of Selangor State Assembly, which starts from 18 Nov to 2 Dec 2013. Speech delivered on 21 Nov 2013 in Bahasa Malaysia. This is the English translation without the official address and 'Dewan language'.  I could only touch on the surface for each topic as the time for debate is limited. I'll update more details (theoretical or empirical) when the State Assembly ends. 

The reason we are all here to discuss about the budget is to discuss how we can best spend every single ringgit we collected from the people into generating more benefits to the society. While there are many things to discuss on how to spend every ringgit, I would like to point out only 3 points in this sitting:-

1. When there is transfer of wealth between different segments of the society through state programs or subsidies, there should always be a net effect of wealth transfer from the top of the pyramid to the bottom of the pyramid. In another word, a progressive transfer.

2. For people not from the bottom of the pyramid, government should invest in budget items that generate good multiplier effect to the society. That is, if we invest RM1 to the project, it will generate more than RM1 of economic and social value.

3. Rakyat monies should not be wasted on the inefficiencies of GLC.


I shall elaborate further.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) 101: It is No Cure of Malaysia Financial Malaise

For those of you who are not quite familiar with the topic of GST, here is a summary from the media statement of Tony Pua, Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara on Tuesday, 22 October 2013, which gives you an idea of why GST is no cure of Malaysia Financial Malaise

The proposal to impose the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a direct result of the BN-led administration's waste, extravagance and leakages.

Idris Jala, the Minister in Prime Minister's Department, has issued a statement to strongly support the implementation of the GST as a panacea to the persistent deficit and increasing debt which Malaysia suffers today. 

Under such policies, the poor would be hit by a double whammy in tax burden. Firstly, the poorer income groups be forced to bear the burden of the reduced income tax of the higher income groups. On top of that, they will be hit by a regressive tax regime which taxes the poor proportionately more than the rich.  

For example a person who earns RM1,000 will be spending practically the full amount of his monthly earnings without any savings. This expenditure will be taxed at an assumed 5 percent GST.  

A person earning RM20,000 per month may spend RM12,000 of his income while saving or investing the balance. He will pay 5 percent on his RM12,000 expenditure, which works out to RM600. Based on this sum, the wealthier person is effectively paying only 3 percent tax on his income. Hence the natural impact of the GST is proportionately higher on the poor than on the rich.

This is diametrically opposite to the current progressive income tax structure which raises the percentage of taxes payable at higher income brackets.

Hence if the government were to impose the GST as an excuse to lower income tax rates, then it is effectively abdicating from its obligations and role of social justice and wealth redistribution. Instead, the GST and reduced income tax rate will only worsen the already worrisome income inequality in the country.

Cut extravagance instead

Instead of Idris arguing that "we need to broaden the tax base" because only approximately 15 percent of the working population pays taxes today, the government should be asking why the remaining 85 percent are not earning enough to pay taxes after decades of so-called rapid growth and economic development.  

We must remember that it is not because these 85 percent do not want to pay tax, but because they don't earn enough to be eligible to do so. It should be noted that the income tax brackets have not been modified for nearly two decades and the question is why the overwhelming majority of workers are still earning suppressed wages at less than RM2,500-3,000 per month. 

In addition, it should be argued that decades of strong and rapid economic growth boasted by the BN administration should have enriched the government with annual surpluses and record savings.

Instead, despite the chest-thumping over the government's ability to manage the economy, we now find ourselves in persistent deficit while the federal government debt has ballooned to RM546 billion, without taking into account another RM150 billion of known contingent liabilities.

The cure for the financial malaise lies not in taxing the people more, especially taxing those who barely earn enough to meet the rising cost of living. The panacea lies in the political will to cut wastage, patronage, extravagance and corruption in government expenditure.

Due to the fact that we are fortunately blessed with oil and gas revenues, as well as an enviable economic growth record over the past decades, the government actually have enough funds in its coffers. What it has however failed to do, is to ensure that these funds are properly utlised and invested. 

Until this government learns and proves to the people that it knows how to manage the rakyat's hard-earned monies in an honest, professional and efficient manner, it will have no right to raise more taxes from the people, especially from the middle-income and the poor

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3 Simple Reasons I Disagree with "Allah" Ban

Why should you care about the "Allah" ban, especially if you are not a Christian or Sikh? After all, it won't affect your lives right? Well, you might want to think twice. If you are still unaware of the issue, please take some time to read this as it will affect how we move forward as a country in the history of Malaysia. 

WHO USES "ALLAH"? 

According to historical manuscripts, Arabic-speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews have collectively used “Allah” referring to God for more than 1,400 years. In Malaysia, the Sikh and East Malaysian Bumiputra and Orang Asli Christians (who constitute 60% of the church in Malaysia today, and mostly Bahasa Malaysia-speaking), have been using the word “Allah” both before and after the independence of Malaya and the formation of Malaysia. The use of the word “Allah” by the people of other faiths had not been an issue in Malaysia all these years.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN?

In 2007, the Home Ministry banned the use of "Allah" in the Malay section of The Herald, a weekly publication of the Catholic Church, arguing that it could confuse and cause offence among the Muslims in Malaysia, subsequently threatening national security. The Catholic Church challenged the order. In 2009, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the word “Allah” was not exclusive to Muslims only and that all Malaysians had the right to use the word under the Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression and religion.

 The government then filed an appeal and recently, the 3-member bench Court of Appeal unanimously decided to overturn the KL High Court decision. It pronounced the use of "Allah" in The Herald unlawful and unconstitutional. The Catholic Church will now go to the Federal Court, Malaysia’s highest court, to challenge the judgment of Court of Appeal. 

THREE SIMPLE REASONS

There are many good pieces written by different groups on why the Court of Appeal judgment is flawed (listed at the end). Before you read the 'heavy stuff' with more detailed explanations, here are 3 simple reasons why I say NO to the "Allah" ban: - 

1. Fundamental Human Rights for all Malaysians

It is simply unreasonable for any Malaysian to be denied their fundamental freedom to express their religious beliefs on the basis that it might cause confusion to some people. Isn't it better to educate the easily confused, instead of restricting the rights of others? As a matter of fact, before the "Allah" ban in Malaysia, Muslims around the world have not been confused sharing the word "Allah" with the Jews and Christians for more than one thousand years. 

2. It Is Simply Not Practical

Even if the ban is constitutionally and morally legitimate, the enforcement of the ban is simply not practical. 

Is the "Allah" ban only for The Herald? If yes, then the ban will not serve its purpose of avoiding confusion because other non-Muslim materials apart from The Herald can still use the term "Allah”. What's the point of imposing a ban which cannot serve its purpose?

Or does the ban apply to all materials of other faiths? If yes, what about a foreigner who comes to Malaysia with non-Islam materials containing the term "Allah"? Do we confiscate the materials in the airport? If yes, then our Customs will have trouble scanning all materials for the term "Allah" as there is no such scanning equipment available. And do we charge the foreigner in court for "smuggling" non-Islam materials with the term "Allah"?

As I am writing this, the government announced that the "Allah" ban will not affect the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak (knowing their fixed deposit is seriously at stake). That further complicates the practicality of the ban. Does the ban apply only in West Malaysia? What about the Christians from Sabah and Sarawak who reside in West Malaysia? How then can the enforcement unit decide on who and where "Allah" can or cannot be used? 

I shall not elaborate further. In short, this "Allah" ban is simply not practical. 

3. For the Future of Malaysia

Most importantly, the "Allah" ban will seriously hurt the unity of this already divided and segmented nation. 

How do we build an inclusive society when a certain segment can claim the exclusive right to use certain term? 

Imagine how we are going to tell our little children that only in Malaysia, "Allah" is exclusive for the Muslims and at the same time, convince them that Malaysia is a united country. You may think this situation is still bearable and hence can't be bother. Nevertheless, remember the story of the frog-in-the-boiling water? 

It is the little by little encroachment of human rights by the government and the little by little compromise by the society that  we may end up an oppressive and divided nation in the future. 

How we, as a society, collectively react to the "Allah" ban will shape the future of this nation. Therefore, speaking against it now is crucial if we are serious about building a united Malaysia where freedom is enjoyed by all Malaysians regardless of race, religion, culture, language and geography. 

LAST WORDS

We, the wakil rakyats, are elected to be the voice of conscience for all Malaysians. 

Just a month ago, I spoke up against workplace discrimination of women in tudung based on the principle of human rights and the right of Muslim women to be free from any forms of discrimination (link). By the same token, I wish to speak against the Court of Appeal ruling over the ban of using the word "Allah".   

I know many UMNO cyber-troopers who conveniently label me as a Christian evangelical politician will now use this political stand as their weapon of attack. However it is my duty as an elected representative to make a political stand without fear or intimidation based on the principle of human rights and in consideration for the future of this nation.

Therefore, I say NO to the "Allah" ban. 

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Further readings:-

1. Media Statement by the Bar Council on Court of Appeal Judgement on "Allah" Issue 
2. In the Name of Allah, The Economist
3. No One Has Monopoly Claim to God, The Jakarta Post
4. Would Malaysia be formed if Court of Appeal Allah Judgement was the Law of the Land, by Lim Kit Siang