Tackling woes of marginalised groups

Zaidatul Syreen Abdul Rashid (Malaysiakini)

A conference on tackling issues faced by the marginalised and minority groups in the country is to be held in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, organised by Hindraf Makkal Sakthi and six other organisations.

It will assess and review progress made or not made in the protection and development of marginalised and minority communities in Malaysia since independence, Hindraf Makkal Sakthi national information coordinator S Jayathas said today.

“We will discuss the future of marginalised and minority groups in order to bring about a positive outcome and a better, assured future for them,” he told Malaysiakini.

At present, Jayathas (right) said, there were many issues of concern to these groups, especially in education, constitutional rights and job opportunities, which have not been tackled.

He said the conference is not race-based as it involves the orang asli as well as the native races of Sabah and Sarawak as well.

“It is important to handle and solve all the issues faced by minority and marginalised groups as both the ruling coalition BN and the opposition parties are not handling these issues seriously,” he said.

The conference will at least serve as a starting point for other organisations interested in making changes for the ‘neglected’ groups.

A stepping stone for struggling communities

“This will be an eye-opening event as it is organised by the minority and marginalised groups themselves for the first time, and it will serve as a stepping stone for the struggling minorities,” he added.

Jayathas said former PKR vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan, Hindraf national coordinator W Sambulingam, Dr John Brian Anthony of the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) and Borneo Research Institute (Brimas) executive director Mark Bujang are among the key speakers at the conference.

“I have invited a few NGOs and and I now make an open invitation for everybody concerned to come and be part of creating something uniquely Malaysian,” he adds.

The conference is jointly organised by Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM), SDNU, an NGO for the physically-challnged Independent Living & Training Centre, Common Interest Group of Sabah and Sarawak, Borneo Resources Institute and Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia)

It will be held at the KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall from 9am to 3pm.

NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF MARGINALIZED & MINORITY COMMUNITIES IN MALAYSIA. 23/1/11 Kuala Lumpur