EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This was undoubtedly an extraordinary year for the human rights movement in Malaysia. As civil society groups kept up pressure for change, the Government responded by taking initial steps toward reform. The Commission is appreciative of the Prime Minister’s aspirations for the nation and his recognition of, and respect for, basic human rights alongside the rule of law. The highlight was the passage of the Peaceful Assembly Bill in Parliament on 20 December. The Commission notes, however, that the Government’s amendments to the draft law were not in line with suggestions from concerned parties, including the Commission itself. Therefore, the Government is urged to review the Act, taking into account international human rights principles. In the interim, the Commission calls on the Government to ensure that enforcement of the Act complies with the human rights principle that guarantees freedom of assembly, and to open up avenues for public discourse on contentious provisions of the Act. Having consistently called for all preventive detention legislation to be repealed because such laws go against human rights principles, the Commission lauds the Government’s decision to annul existing Proclamations of Emergency and to repeal the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA). The Commission hopes that, in the course of drafting legislation to replace the ISA, all relevant parties will be consulted and that its long-standing recommendations will be given due regard. In keeping with the Commission’s mandate to promote and protect human rights, its Working Groups pursued their key objectives through on-going programmes and activities during the year, while extending outreach to new target groups or integrating additional issues that require attention and intervention. REPORT OF THE EDUCATION AND PROMOTION WORKING GROUP (EWG) Following the success of the pilot Human Rights Best Practices in Schools (HRBPS) project, the EWG took it a step further by bringing 12 more schools within the programme. At the same time, a team of researchers carried out a formative study into the pilot project, eventually recommending the continuation of the programme with some improvements. In highlighting the right to education for Orang Asli children, the EWG pursued solutions to factors that still keep them out of school. Another concern was that two religious schools in Perlis had experienced difficulty in attaining registration, due to the policies and procedures of the Ministry of Education and Department of Religious Affairs. 7