(23/8) Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) urged to look into discrimination against mother tongue schools in the country. Senior Executive of LLG Cultural Development Centre Ng Yap Hwa said that the best way to preserve one's culture and ensure people's cultural rights is through implementation of mother tongue education, this has been supported by UNESCO.

But in Malaysia, on the one hand, the government tells the world that we are a multi-ethnic and multi cultures country, on the other hand there is often discrimination against mother tongue schools. The government doesn't provide equal allocation to Chinese and Tamil schools, it is so diffucult to build a new mother tongue schools, the government also does not promote indigenous people's language.

He was speaking at the 'Economic, Sosial and Cultural Rights' meeting held by newly appointed Suhakam commissioner cum chairperson to the economic, sosial and cultural rights working group Mr. James Nayagam.

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Source: Sembang-sembang Forum

Lim Lian Geok Cultural Development Centre (LLG)/Sembang2 Forum/SUARAM Joint Function:- “Gadoh” Movie Screening Session

The Penang Branch of Lim Lian Geok Cultural Development Centre(LLG), Sembang Sembang Forum(SSF) and SUARAM jointly organized the Gadoh movie screening session at the Penang Chinese Girls School Alumni Hall on 7 Aug 2010.  

Residents of the former Bukit Jalil Estate are crying foul over a Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) notice of eviction, demanding that the residents vacate their homes by August 3.

The residents previously received a letter dated June 8 from DBKL, stating that the demolition works will be postponed until the end of discussions between ministers from the Federal Territories and Urban Well Being and Human Resources Ministry.

Despite the outcome of the meeting between the ministers pending, the residents has been issued with the final eviction notice -- ordering them to leave.

Bukit Jalil Estate residents made of predominantly Indians with lower income. They have been fighting the battle to get a proper.

Main grouse of the residents are the proposed compensation package offered by the Human Resource Ministry and also the DBKL's plans to move the Bukit Jalil tamil school to a land gazetted for an Islamic school.

Aug 3, 10 10:54am

Edi Tutun felt uneasy when two strangers paid him a surprise visit at his house in a remote village in Kota Marudu, in the northern district of Sabah.

However, when the uninvited guests introduced themselves with the help of a villager who spoke to Edi in their mother tongue, the Dusun Kimaragang language, Edi brightened up.

The duo turned out to be the 'government people' but their unannounced visit has nothing to do with government matters but merely to make a study on Edi's 'bahasa sukuan' or ethnic language.

The two 'visitors' - Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka's (DBP) Sabah Branch
Director Zubaidi Abbas and linguistic researcher Abd Nassir Said have actually travelled almost 200 km from the state capital to conduct a survey called 'Jejak Etnik' (Tracing Sabah's ethnics).

The DBP officers later interviewed Edi, asking him about his proficiency in spoken and understanding of his mother tongue.

The Jejak Etnik is Sabah DBP's first project of the kind and this special programme has brought Zubaidi and his team of researchers to many parts of Sabah, but the bulk of the study was concentrated at Kampung Landung Ayang Laut, Kudat, in the Sabah east coast.

Kampung Landung Ayang was especially chosen for its diverse ethnic
population where at least 35 dialects or sub-dialects were found to be the language of communication among its residents.