A Freer And More Equal Malaysia

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 Today marks Human Rights Day, a day when there is needed attention to how human rights have empowered people and helped address deep-seated inequalities in societies.
It is a particularly important day as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani government defines itself as progressive, aiming to build an inclusive society tied to the protection of human rights and promotion of equality.
Persistent human rights concerns
In recent weeks, civil society organisations have highlighted concerns that the government is curtailing freedoms.
Suaram’s report this year pointed to the continued problems of police misconduct, increased police shootings and persistently high custodial deaths, which also lacked transparency.
The report also highlighted curbs on freedoms, with 40 percent of assemblies subjected to investigations, and increased use of security legislation such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) and the Sedition Act to restrict freedom of speech.
A disturbing trend has been to go after whistleblowers and reporters for raising issues. This occurred in the arrest of Mukmin Nantang, who brought attention to the forced evictions of the Bajau Laut in Sabah last July. More recently, government agencies filed a police report against Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown for her report on illegal logging.
Even more serious has been the dark legislative cloud over the media, with proposed regressive amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act. It would seem that the proposed changes predate the current government to the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, yet they remain in consideration and seriously threaten media freedom.
They echo the restrictive administrative and legal changes being made to social media that showcase fewer freedoms rather than more. New regulations enable greater government control of social media platforms through licensing that provides increased oversight.
Given the cases of misuse of laws to go after whistleblowers and critics this past year, there are legitimate concerns that this legislation could be misused.
Sadly, the overall trend in freedoms this past year has been to move backwards, not forward.
Journalists protesting the proposed amendments to the PPPA on Dec 4 outside ParliamentA historic example is the citizenship amendments, which collectively were one of the most regressive pieces of legislation in Malaysian history. Mothers with children born abroad after the amendments gained while those who already have kids born abroad continue to suffer, as will hundreds of innocent children who now have been denied pathways to citizenship.
They join the hundreds of thousands of undocumented persons and stateless in Malaysia who are being denied basic freedoms. Serious human rights issues persist for vulnerable communities, with these problems effectively being ignored.
While Malaysia can celebrate its freedoms compared to countries in the region, much more can be done to translate the promises of a free society into reality.
Unequal gains on equality
The same is true for the issue of equality. The data shows that while Malaysia has made progress historically, the divides in society remain significant.
What is of concern is that the Madani government’s policies to address inequality and promote a more inclusive society are not holistic and do not yield substantive results.
It is important to look at inequality through multiple lenses, as the tendency in Malaysia is to only adopt an ethnic lens. I discuss three below.
Let’s start with gender. In the gender inequality Global Gender Gap Index 2022, Malaysia ranks 103 out of 146 countries, with a score of 0.681. Malaysia scored well on reducing the education gap in education but still has far to go to increasing women’s participation in the labour force and political life.
The Women’s March in Kuala Lumpur on March 9, 2024In 2023, measures introduced to address the inequality women face include the I-Sayang initiative (EPF benefits for wives), incentives for female workforce participation, and modest funds to promote female empowerment. This momentum has not carried over meaningfully this past year.
Gender equality has apparently stalled as a priority for the Madani government, with serious gaps remaining. Importantly, the situation for women in PN opposition-led states is even more exclusionary.
An income divide
The focus of the Madani government has been on income inequality, the “evil rich”. This has been the basis for recent government finance and tax initiatives, but it has also extended into government rhetoric.
What is not clear is how punishing one group will help others, as other policies to address inequality are not changing.
There is agreement that income inequality is a serious challenge for Malaysia. The latest data from the Department of Statistics suggests that Malaysia’s Gini coefficient was .40 in 2022, highlighting that wealth in Malaysia is highly concentrated.
Compared to other countries in Southeast Asia, Malaysia has one of the highest patterns of inequality.
It should be noted that this figure is a gain over the past decade, but this measure of income inequality has effectively remained the same since 2012.
The approach of the Madani government to income inequality has been to use taxation as a means to redistribute wealth and to widen subsidy policies for the poor and less wealthy. There has also been a modest expansion of the social safety net.
A parallel approach has been to bring in foreign investment, with the hope that this will stimulate the overall economy while introducing a higher minimum wage.
Questions are being asked about the effectiveness of these measures, such as gaps in social welfare, limited job creation, and increased government dependence on funds on the part of lower-income groups.
Concerns have also been raised about a failure to stimulate the domestic economy directly and significantly strengthen small and medium businesses that have had to face increased costs.
Doubts remain about whether income gaps are being reduced and what drivers of social mobility are being introduced. Policies have been largely reactive and following past models, with serious problems outstanding.
Education reform is failing miserably, for example, and broader solutions to income inequality remain elusive.
In part, this is because the government continues to see inequality through an ethnic lens. It is obsessed with winning over Malay support. The government prioritises subsidies to government servants, for example, and is not adequately looking at the income divide holistically.
Ethnic divisions
Ethnic divisions remain dominant in politics, as ethnic relations remain highly salient. These divisions not only include the communities in Peninsular Malaysia but also extend to Borneo, where resentments about discrimination and disrespect resonate.
Research on ethnic divisions under the Madani government showcases different trends. Some surveys, such as that of Project Sama, highlight positive trends in relations among communities. Other reports show a hardening of ethnic divisions as more racialised incidents have brought sensitive inequalities to the fore. 
Anwar’s conservative Islamisation has angered many who hoped for more moderation. Sentiments in Borneo have similarly become more negative towards the federal government.
Prime Minister Anwar IbrahimThe government’s approach to addressing ethnic divisions has perhaps been the least developed of the three lenses to inequality highlighted.
For Borneo, the government has provided additional funding but is unwilling to address the root issues of discontent. This is also true in Peninsular Malaysia as well.
There is no broad policy roadmap to address ethnic divisions. The national harmony bill to promote social cohesion and address intolerance has not moved forward despite calls by the Malaysian Bar and other organisations in civil society to do so.
It is almost as if there is a fourth “R” following the well-known three - running away from facing the issues of unity and discord in Malaysian society. The dynamic creates higher risks for stability.
The Madani government portrays itself as embracing rights and inclusion. The embrace of these values and goals should be lauded and it is important to recognise measures that are being taken, especially in the first year of the government.
However, the momentum to address inequality has stalled as curbs on rights have increased. Now, over two years in office, more can be done to progress toward these ideals. - Mkini
BRIDGET WELSH is an honourary research associate of the University of Nottingham’s Asia Research Institute, a senior research associate at Hu Fu Center for East Asia Democratic Studies, and a senior associate fellow at The Habibie Centre. Her writings can be found at bridgetwelsh.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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