Chairman’s Message such as the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to peaceful assembly; the right to freedom of association and the right to information. While the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression comes with responsibilities and may be subjected to restrictions, such restrictions must be justifiable under permitted grounds, proportionate to the need on which the limitation is predicated, as well as consistent with international human rights norms. The Commission renews its support for the proposed ‘National Harmony Act’, aimed at striking a balance between the right to freedom of expression and the need to handle the complexity of plurality in Malaysia. It hopes that the proposed Act will be formulated based on the values of understanding and respect for human rights among all groups in society, alongside appropriate measures to promote national harmony while prohibiting religious and racial hatred or violence. The Commission also firmly believes that education plays an instrumental role in promoting better tolerance and observance for human rights as well in preventing human rights abuses in society. In the course of the year, the Commission continued to educate and promote human rights through various activities involving different stakeholders including educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, civil society members and grassroots communities. The Commission was encouraged by the growing acceptance and understanding of human rights among these stakeholders, particularly those schools that participate in the Human Rights Best Practices in Schools (HRBPS) Programme spearheaded by the Commission and the Ministry of Education (MOE). The Commission, however, observed the gaps that still persist and need to be addressed in Orang Asli (Indigenous Peoples) schools and Sekolah Agama Rakyat (Peoples’ Religious Schools) in various aspects. The Commission will continue to monitor and highlight these issues to the relevant Government agencies towards ensuring the full realisation of the right to education of all children, particularly those from the vulnerable groups. The Commission’s 2013 thematic studies on the rights of children with learning disabilities (CWLD) and older persons had resulted in the completion of two reports namely ‘The Right to Education of Children with Learning Disabilities’ and ‘Care Services for Older Persons and Support for Caregivers’. The Commission hopes that these reports will serve as a catalyst for the improvement of the well-being of the CWLD and the older persons in the country. The Commission also intensified its engagement with relevant stakeholders to advance the agenda on business and human rights in Malaysia through round-table discussions and joint projects on the formulation of an action plan on Business and Human Rights for Malaysia with financial support from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom. Throughout the year, the Commission received a total of 717 complaints, of which 448 complaints were within its jurisdiction while 269 were not. The number of overall complaints received has increased by 93 cases (15%) compared to the previous year. Of the 448 complaints, the Commission resolved 195 cases and is investigating the remaining 253 cases. Among the main issues arising from these complaints were those pertaining to arrest and detention, 2