The deputy secretary-general for multilateral affairs Bala Chandran Tharman said since 2018, a total of 26 laws and regulations have either been repealed or revised, or new ones developed as the government continues to provide space for society to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Notably, this included the abolition of the mandatory death penalty in July 2023, which entails amendments to seven pertinent laws, underscoring the government’s unwavering commitment to uphold human rights and justice for all in Malaysia.
Malaysia also decriminalised attempted suicides in May 2023, shifting from punitive to compassionate measures in addressing mental health issues.
He said this when presenting Malaysia’s National Report for the Fourth Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland last night.
Bala also highlighted Malaysia’s steadfast efforts to protect children, women and vulnerable groups from exploitation, violence and abuse.
These include enacting the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and the anti-stalking law, and the amendment to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act in 2023.
“Malaysia has prioritised human rights as fundamental to the country’s development and in uplifting the standard of living for fellow Malaysians.
“The government through the Madani framework is seeking to create a just society with care, compassion, trust, and respect for one another,” he said.
He added that the National Recommendation Tracking Database, established to implement and monitor the progress of human rights recommendations by the Council, had also cultivated stronger ownership and strengthened coordination among government agencies as well as with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) stakeholders.
“As a developing country, we will continue to prioritise human rights with development as both are mutually reinforcing and we will do so with the Federal Constitution being the guiding instrument.
“As a way forward we will continue to pursue the whole of society approach emphasising prevention, especially for the protection of vulnerable groups and invest in human rights literacy through awareness raising and capacity building programmes,” he said.
This was Malaysia’s fourth review of its human rights record. Previous reviews were conducted in 2009, 2013 and 2018.
Malaysia’s National Report was a collective effort involving a whole-of-society approach, with consultations with various stakeholders, including civil society organisations and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).
UPR is an intergovernmental process established under the UN Human Rights Council framework to review the human rights records of each UN member state once every four and a half years.
It provides an avenue for each country under review to highlight measures and efforts undertaken to improve their human rights record.
The council also serves as a peer review platform for all UN member states to provide recommendations and share best practices in a constructive dialogue to facilitate the promotion and protection of human rights.