The Chinese government has released a white paper on human rights in the country in 2009. The report highlights the role of Internet freedom and the country's efforts in safeguarding citizens' legitimate civil and political rights. The white paper is China's 9th report on human rights since the country began releasing the document in 1991.
China's economy developed steadily and relatively rapidly, and people's rights to subsistence and development improved considerably.
In 2009, to overcome the impact of the international financial crisis, the Chinese government invested 4,000 billion yuan in the improvement of the people's livelihood, and economic growth.
The country's GDP in the year exceeded 3.4 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.1 percent over the previous year. The number of impoverished people in rural China decreased to 35.971 million, or 3.8 percent of the rural population.
The nation adheres to political development with Chinese characteristics.
From January 2009 to March 2010 the NPC and its Standing Committee examined 25 laws and drafts concerning laws, and adopted 18 of them.
Elections for new villagers' committees in 12 provinces and elections for new neighborhood committees in 16 provinces took place.
With their right to freedom of speech on the Internet protected by the law, Chinese citizens can voice their opinions in a wide variety of ways on the Internet.
China also took a further step in improving its judicial system to strengthen the protection of human rights in law enforcement and judicial practices.
China's procuratorial organs approved the arrest of over 941 thousand suspects in criminal cases and instituted legal proceedings against over one million people.
Judicial transparency has increased. 795 staff members of people's courts at all levels were investigated and punished for breaches of law or discipline.
The Chinese government undertook the protection of the people's economic, social and cultural rights as a major task.
China appropriated 42 billion yuan for the increase of job opportunities, a rise of 66.7 percent over the previous year.
11.02 million new job opportunities were created and 5.14 million laid-off workers were re-employed in urban areas of China.
The overall population coverage rates of radio and TV broadcasting were 96.3 percent and 97.2 percent, respectively.
Like citizens of the Han nationality, ethnic groups equally enjoy all the rights accorded to Chinese citizens by the Constitution and laws. Moreover, they also enjoy some special rights under minorities' laws.
China invested 1.24 billion yuan for the socio-economic development of the areas inhabited by ethnic-minority people.
98% of 699 counties in ethnic autonomous areas realized nine-year compulsory education. The other 13 counties have plans to reach these goals in 2010.
The legal and policy guarantees for the rights and interests of disabled people have been enhanced.
Some 6.2 million people with disabilities were rehabilitated to different degrees, and the government provided 1.122 million items of assistance equipment for people with disabilities.
China continues to support and actively participate in activities in the field of human rights, sponsored by the United Nations.
The Chinese government sent a delegation to attend the meeting of a working group to establish an optional protocol for a complaint mechanism of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. China actively recommended its experts to participate in the work of organizations supporting human rights treaties.
Studio interview: Development of China's human rights For more insight on China's white paper on human rights, we are now joined by our current affairs commentator, Professor Tao Wenzhao in our studio. Full Story>>
When the young and savvy Hannah Yeoh made this remark at the 5th National Congress of Integrity (NCOI) on Malaysia Day, it drove home a point.
Many Malaysians love castigating Datuk Ibrahim Ali, the head of Perkasa, yet a lot of them spout their own brand of bigotry and prejudice in their homes. Worse, they brainwash the next generation with their biases and stereotypes.
After 47 years, Malaysians – young and old – are still trying to work out what the promise of Malaysia in 1963 was. Is it in the Federal Constitution, in government policies? Has race-based politics resulted in us being more fragmented today than before?
I think that if all Malaysians put into practice the Subang Jaya assemblywoman’s timely advice, we’re on to a good start to improving national integration, reducing polarisation and developing as a nation.
Slagging off a co-worker or neighbour in your home might be cathartic. But by tagging a gender or ethnic origin at the end of “that inept/useless ...”, it means that when your child inevitably meets someone of that race/gender who is all those things, your bigotry is validated as “the truth” instead of the fact that laziness, stupidity and chauvinism is common to all of the human race.
Often times, schools can reverse racism nurtured at the parent’s knees, but it would appear that our young are in danger of having home-spun prejudices reinforced by racist teachers in our schools as well.
Chatting with a senior judge a few days later on the responsibility of parents because children insidiously learn racism at home and the school, he had a horror tale to tell: “I was in practice then. I asked my son about a birthday party he’d asked to go to earlier and he said ‘Not going, he’s Indian.’”
“When I asked why, he replied it was because of something his teacher said. Needless to say, my wife and I made him go to the party.”
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak declared Malaysia Day a public holiday this year. But if he wants to successfully propagate 1Malaysia, the Government must promote a society of equal citizens and protect the marginalised.
He must put an end to or have a sunset clause in policies that polarise Malaysians based on political classifications (bumiputra versus non-bumiputra), ethnic origins (Malay vs non-Malay), religion (Muslim vs non-Muslim), geographical location (West Malaysia vs East Malaysia) and ability (able-bodied vs disabled).
Meanwhile, quite unfettered by slogans and/or political baggage, non-governmental organisations which organised three events in the Klang Valley on Sept 16 did not just help the people celebrate Malaysia but also explore its nuts and bolts (a.k.a. the Federal Constitution) intellectually and artistically.
One was the Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute (Ohmsi) that has been the driving force behind five National Congress on Integrity (NCOI) events with different partners since the first NCOI in 2005.
Ohmsi, which is focused on integration with integrity and building bridges of respect, is slowly seeing the impact of its work in individuals. In 2009, Malaysia Day was not a public holiday but Ohmsi and a regular partner – the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies – held a closed-door dialogue between Muslims and Christians.
In the light of the continuing controversy over whether Muslims can visit their friends during religious celebrations or invite them to a mosque, it was reassuring to hear that the Islamic Information & Services Foundation takes Muslims to churches and temples where they attend the service, dialogue and share a meal with their Christian, Hindu or Buddhist hosts.
It wasn’t just talk. Last Nov 22, 50 Muslim brothers and sisters attended the Holy Qurbana (Communion) service at the Mar Thoma Church in Kuala Lumpur. It was reported in The Star on Nov 29 that it was a learning and heartfelt experience for both visitors and the hosts.
At this year’s NCOI, former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram and senior lawyer Datuk Azzat Kamaluddin spoke on national integration with Constitutional integrity: when the Executive and the Legislature both fail the people, it is up to the Judiciary to uphold their fundamental liberties as Constitution is the blueprint of “Malaysia”.
Senator Datuk Seri Idris Jala, who spoke on celebrating diversity, shared an anecdote of an elderly villager from his kampung in Sabah who told him to take his programme on integration to the peninsula because those in East Malaysia already knew more about living together peacefully with those of different ethnic origins and faiths.
Maybe the Education Ministry should get into the mini-homestay business – send batches of orang Semenanjung to live in Sabah and Sarawak, starting with students.
The other organisation deserving mention is the Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee, which is driving a two-year campaign to educate all Malaysians on the Constitution in layman terms.
They launched the campaign’s 6th phase, despite a 1Malaysia youth club recently lodging a police report against the council for handing out allegedly seditious material on the Constitution.
These young graduates seem to object to Malaysians learning about the Constitution but another young bunch have chosen instead to render their thoughts in music under Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia’s (SABM) youth project.
Aliff, 23, lead guitarist for Car Crash Hearts rock band, said their song Bangkit! hoped to move youths to get out and vote instead of just whining and complaining.
One year ago, the SABM with its message of “One People, One Nation” had attracted “the oldies”. But its co-founder Haris Ibrahim reckons “the baton is being passed on to the younger generation by the old fogies”.
Hopefully by next Malaysia Day, we’ll all be a little less polarised, a little more integrated, a little more a Bangsa Malaysia.
Tuesday September 28, 2010
Koh: Don’t give Perkasa space and face
KUALA LUMPUR: Malay rights group Perkasa should not be given the publicity that it has been enjoying, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
He said the group was of no importance and that “we should not give them too much face and space.” “However, while taking a stand against extremism, we should look at the root cause which are socio-economic and political in nature,” he told reporters after giving his keynote address at the National Unity Forum 2010 here yesterday.
He said voices like Perkasa had always existed in every society but they were not well-articulated then. “When society becomes more open and with the development of technology and the Internet, these voices that were hidden have now become well-known,” he said.
On the 1Malaysia concept, Dr Koh said it was about inclusiveness and not just tolerance.
“In realising the goal of 1Malaysia, we have to ensure we practise inclusiveness in everything we do. “At the Government level, the implementation of policies must be fair and just and seen to be so,” he said. Dr Koh said Malaysians must respect the differences of others and celebrate their diversity and uniqueness.
He declined to comment when asked whether he would move a motion against Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan to remove him as the Penang Gerakan chief.
“This is an internal party matter and I do not intend to make a public statement,” said Dr Koh, who is Gerakan president.
Wednesday September 29, 2010
MCA chief: Deputy director not fit for Civics Bureau position
KUALA LUMPUR: A deputy director of the National Civics Bureau (NCB) who allegedly uttered racist remarks is no longer fit to hold his position, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.
He added that Hamim Husin should be sent for counselling, retraining and transferred to a desk job. Dr Chua said Hamim did not understand the concept of democracy when he proclaimed Malay rights as a mandate to rule the country.
“He obviously does not know what democracy is all about. In a country that practises democracy, it is the rakyat who determine who rules the country,” he said.
A news portal on Monday reported that Hamim had made the remarks at a Puteri Umno event.
Dr Chua said the Public Services Department should take action against Hamim if he was in the wrong. “Our (MCA) stand is very clear. Anyone who makes remarks which are racial, religious, extreme in nature and hurt the people of other religions or races should be subjected to punishment according to the country’s laws,” he told reporters after chairing the party’s presidential council meeting here yesterday.
MCA publicity bureau deputy chairman Loh Seng Kok said it was shameful for a public servant employed to train upcoming civil servants to use such derogatory stereotypical terms.
He said Hamim’s statement had offended the Chinese and Indian communities.
“If necessary, the police should also charge Hamim under the Sedition Act. It is time to put a halt to the arrogance and intolerance of bigots,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Loh said lecturers and facilitators should take heed from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s earlier announcement that the Cabinet had given the nod for the NCB course to be revamped to cater to all races in line with 1Malaysia.
MIC vice-president Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam also condemned Hamim’s derogatory remarks, saying NCB was a government agency under the Prime Minister’s Department.
Present value of corresponding losses in future output estimated at 100% of world GDP.
COMMENT By JEAN PISANI-FERRY
TWO years have passed since the financial crises erupted, and we have only started to realise how costly it is likely to be. Andrew Haldane of the Bank of England estimates that the present value of the corresponding losses in future output could well reach 100% of world GDP (or gross domestic product).
This estimate may look astonishingly high, but it is relatively conservative, as it assumes that only one-quarter of the initial shock will result in permanently lower output.
According to the true doomsayers, who believe that most, if not all, of the shock will have a permanent impact on output, the total loss could be two or three times higher.
One year of world GDP amounts to US$60 trillion, which corresponds to about five centuries of official development assistance or, to be even more concrete, 10 billion classrooms in African villages. Of course, this is no direct cost to public budgets (the total cost of bank rescue packages is much lower), but this lost output is the cost that matters most when considering how to reduce the frequency of crises.
Assume that, absent adequate preventive measures, a crisis costing one year of world GDP occurs every 50 years (a rough but not unreasonable assumption). It would then be rational for the world’s citizens to pay an insurance premium, provided its cost remains below 2% of GDP (100%/50).
A simple way to reduce the frequency of crises is to require banks to rely more on equity and less on debt so that they can incur more losses without going bankrupt – a measure that is currently being considered at the global level. Thanks to reports just released by the Financial Stability Board and the Basel Committee – one on the long-term implications of requiring higher capital-to-asset ratios, and one on the transitory effects of introducing them – we know more now about the likely impact of such regulation.
The first report finds that, starting from the current low level of bank capitalisation, a one percentage point increase in capital ratios would permanently reduce the frequency of crises by one-third, while increasing interest rates by some 13 basis points (banks would need to charge more because it costs them more to raise capital than to issue debt).
In other words, the price of losing one year of income every 75 years instead of every 50 years would lead banks to increase the rate on a loan from 4% to 4.13%. Such an insignificant increase would at most lead a few bank customers to turn to alternative sources of finance, most likely with no discernible effect on GDP. It is stunning to find that a regulation can do so much good at such a small cost – much smaller than in many other fields where public policy imposes economically costly safety requirements. Think, for example, of the environment or public health, where the precautionary principle guides decision-making.
So much for the long term. The hotly debated question nowadays is whether the transition to higher mandatory reserves would involve excessive short-term costs (as banks will likely increase lending spreads and reduce credit volumes). Subjecting banks, some of which are still ailing, to new regulation may lead them to curtail lending even more, thereby further weakening the pace of economic recovery.
Sound judgement is needed regarding the speed and timing of regulatory tightening.
The second report finds that a one-percentage-point increase in bank capital ratios, if introduced gradually over four years, would lower GDP by about 0.2%. Given that increases by three percentage points are frequently mentioned, the total effect could be 0.6%.
Uncertainties abound
But uncertainties abound. The report oddly finds that raising the target capital ratio would have a significantly greater adverse effect in the United States than in the eurozone, despite the latter’s more pronounced reliance on bank-based financing.
Moreover, the report assumes that monetary policy can offset part of the shock, which may not be true where near zero interest rates already prevail – or in the euro area where the effort may vary across countries while monetary policy is uniform.
So the impact of new regulations on countries where banks are significantly under-capitalised could easily be four or five times larger than the headline figure – say, in the vicinity of a percentage point at a four-year horizon.
This may still look small, but it is hardly a trivial sum in view of the short-term growth outlook in the developed world. At a time when growth is too slow to reduce massive unemployment, every decimal matters.
To lower growth by this magnitude at a time when the private sector has not yet completed its deleveraging cycle – and governments are starting their own – is to risk a prolonged period of near stagnation, which could turn crisis-induced unemployment into structural unemployment.
Furthermore, tighter credit standards over a prolonged period are likely to fall disproportionately on cash-poor, fast-growing companies, with consequences for innovation, productivity, and ultimately growth potential.
None of this means that banks should be granted a regulatory holiday and forget the need to recapitalise. But it does suggest, first, that timing matters. Policymakers should be wary of imposing a regulatory shock simultaneously with a fiscal shock. For this reason, enacting new regulatory standards now while setting distant deadlines is a sensible strategy.
Second, the existence and magnitude of transition costs means that not everything that reduces the probability of financial crises is worth undertaking. For politicians obsessed by current difficulties, whether the next crisis occurs in 50 or 75 years may seem secondary. As a result, regulatory reform must be designed in a way that minimises short-term costs.
Higher capital ratios and liquidity ratios are only one of several approaches to making the financial system safer. Other measures – say, capital insurance, or reform of the boundaries within the financial industry, a la Paul Volcker – are worth considering.
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