ASEAN TURN Workshop, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Trade Union Rights Network (TURN)

ASEAN Sub-regional Workshop on Trade Union Skills Development
12-14 September 2011, Hotel Cambodiana, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Organised by Education International (EI) and
Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES)

Facilitators:
Rey Dolot, EI Asia Pacific
Dominique Marlet, EI HQ Brussels
Andre Edelhoff, FES Asia

Participation:
36 participants from Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand
12 from Malaysia representing GERAK/MOVE, NUTP, MAE, SabahTU and SarawakTU

GERAK/MOVE representatives:
Rosli H Mahat, UM, General Secretary
Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf, IIUM, Committee Member

Topics:
Freedom of association
Collective bargaining
Gender equality
Women rights
Education for all
Country reports
National action plans
International grievance machinery

Post workshop action plan:
Repeating the workshop for local members
National action plan for GERAK and university level organisations
Preparation for UN human rights review of Malaysia in 2013

Prof. Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf (GERAK, UIAM), Prof. Madya Rosli H Mahat (GERAK, UM)

& Ms. Azhani Maskan (MAE, INTI)

Asia Pacific Academics Conference (APAC)

First Announcement



Asia Pacific Academics Conference (APAC)
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
9-11 July 2012


Co-organized by
Malaysian Academics Movement (MOVE/GERAK)
University of Malaya Academic Staff Association (PKAUM).



Introduction


Meetings among higher education staff unions and associations in the Asia Pacific region are very rare. The last meeting being the Education International (EI) 5th International Higher Education and Research Conference held in Melbourne, Australia in December 2005. Even on an international scale, we only have the Caucus on Higher Education and Research during EI Congresses. The last EI congress was held in 2010 at Cape Town, South Africa.


Due to this factor, collaborations and networking among the unions has been rather weak. In order to change this situation, this conference was organized as a meeting among academic staff organizations in the Asia Pacific region.


The University of Malaya Academic Staff Association will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of its formation on 3 March 2012. It is the oldest academic union in Malaysia. This conference is to be part of this celebration.


This conference is co-organized by the Malaysian Academics Movement (MOVE / GERAK) and the University of Malaya Academic Staff Association (PKAUM).

Objectives


To disseminate information on academic rights and increase the awareness and understanding of such rights.
To formulate a plan of action for national and international responses to breach of academic rights
To discuss about the current situation in the various countries and university campuses and provide solution for the problems.
To discuss problems of mutual interest
To buildup a network among academics in the Asia Pacific Region

Call for participation


Participation is open to academic and tertiary staff unions and associations. Individual academics, researchers, students, administrators and university officials are also welcome to participate.


Call for papers


The programmed will cover topics of interest to the academics. These include:


Academics rights
Trade union rights
Academic Advocacy and strategy
Country and campus reports
Organization reports
Academic assessment
University ranking
Teaching and learning
and others.


Participants are welcome to give a presentation to the conference on topics of interest to the participants. A proceeding of the conference is planned to be published.


Registration


Participants are encouraged to register as early as possible, especially those with intention to present a paper. Please register by submitting name, affiliation address, email and title of paper, if any to the address below.


The registration fees are as follows:


Normal participants RM400 (USD140)
Members of academic organizations RM300 (USD100)
Members of academic organizations from developing countries RM200 (USD70)


Accommodations


Accommodations are available at the University Guesthouse, University of Malaya and nearby hotels in Petaling Jaya. Arrangement will be made for morning pickup and evening drop-off. Further detail on the accommodations will be given in the second announcement.


Further information


For further information and preliminary registration, please contact:


Rosli H Mahat
General Secretary
Malaysian Academic Movement


c/o Physics Department, University of Malaya
50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
akademikmalaysia@gmail.com
+60 16 6205242


Additional information will be given in the second announcement which will be mailed out in April 2012.

Peristiwa Tahun Baru 2012 di UPSI

Kenyataan Media 6 Januari 2012


GERAK ingin merakamkan rasa terkejut dan sedih akan peristiwa pertelingkahan antara pelajar dan polis di Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) pada dini hari tahun baru 2012. GERAK merasa sangat kesal akan pengaliran darah dalam peristiwa tersebut.

Berbagai tuduhan dan tomahan telah dilancarkan terhadap para pelajar dan anggota polis yang terlibat sehinggakan susah untuk mendapatkan gambaran yang sebenar. Para pelajar menuntut hak yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Malaysia dan konvensyen antarabangsa. Pihak polis pula dikatakan mengguna kuasa untuk menjaga keamanan.

GERAK menuntut ditubuhkan satu suruhanjaya siasatan diraja (Royal Comission Of Inquiry) untuk menyiasat peristiwa Tahun Baru 2012 di UPSI. Selain dari mencari kebenaran dalam peristiwa tersebut, hak pelajar dan kuasa polis harus juga dikaji semula dan diperhalusi. Ini agar semua pihak menjadi arif terhadap hak dan kuasa masing-masing. Peristiwa sebegini tidak patut diulangi lagi.

GERAK juga menuntut SUHAKAM mengadakan satu siasatan awam (public inquiry) terhadap peristiwa ini.

Bagi pihak GERAK,

Prof Madya Rosli H Mahat
Setiausaha Agung
Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (GERAK)

Media Statement 29th November 2011

Resolved that the Malaysian Academic Movement (MOVE) once again reiterate our concern with respect to the continuing persecution and intended prosecution of Professor Aziz Bari of the International Islamic University Malaysia by the powers that be. We urge the parties concern to stop and revoke all investigation and disciplinary proceedings that aim to intimidate students and academics from addressing their immediate concerns.

Professor Aziz is a highly regarded scholar of Malaysian constitutional law and society. While he has written many scholarly books over the years on Malaysian Constitution, he continues to be persecuted by the police, politicians and his own university (IIUM) for his scholarship. Advocates of public debates and nonviolent approaches like Professor Aziz are silenced by state power and its apparatus.

Professor Aziz is becoming the symbol against a long history of academic repression and harsh censorship in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the problem of intellectual freedom and free speech in Malaysia has had a poor record under the current leadership. In 2011, the World Press Freedom Index placed Malaysia in 143th place in a list of 196 countries, whereas Malaysia was in 124th position when the current leadership came to power in 2008. Moreover, constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press, expression and assembly are undermined by other provisions, and in practice they are only partially upheld.

Prof Aziz Bari’s prosecution for exercising his right to freedom of expression conflicts with Malaysia's obligations to recognize the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to freedom of expression; and the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of association as delineated by the Constitution of Malaysia. Thus, threatening and intimidating students and professors for exercising their right to free expression and assembly violates international and Malaysian law.

Punishing dissenting comments and ideas badly undermines academic freedom, which is all about the right to free expression and freedom of opinion. The International Islamic University Malaysia should reinstate Professor Aziz to his former status and rescind all investigation and disciplinary proceedings.

We believe that institutions of higher learning must resolutely uphold and defend the principles of academic freedom, and must also be sanctuaries for the free expression of ideas and opinions. This means that universities must also be a haven for controversial speech. We commend our national and international colleagues for your clear and vigorous defense of academic freedom and free speech in this case, and we continue to stand firm in defense of Professor Aziz Bari.


On behalf of MOVE,

Prof Wan Abdul Manan Wan Muda
Chariperson
Malaysian Academic Movement (MOVE)

DECLARATION OF EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL, 25 NOVEMBER 2011

Every person has the right to live free of coercion, discrimination and fear of violence.
Every girl and woman has the right to live free of coercion, discrimination and fear of violence

Every girl and woman has the right to education. Without education to empower economic, social and political participation, solutions to global problems of poverty, conflict and violence are beyond reach.

Yet, for hundreds of millions of girls and women worldwide, these human rights are denied. Education International works to ensure that women’s rights are protected. Further, EI recognizes that gender based violence is not a woman’s issue-it is an issue that concerns all of mankind.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked every year on 25 November, acknowledges injustice and encourages change. EI calls upon teacher organisations to raise awareness of the scope of the phenomenon of violence against girls and women, and to organise prevention measures to eliminate violence against women in the union, in the workplace and in the community. Schools must be safe spaces for all, learners and teachers, if they are to full fill their promise of truly being places where people learn and grow together.

EI advocates for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), especially Article 10, which calls for all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of education and the elimination of stereotyped concepts of roles of men and women at all levels and in all forms of education. Non-discriminatory education benefits both girls and boys and thus ultimately contributes to more equal relationships between women and men.

EI seeks to build commitment to non-violence and peace in the minds of men and women education workers through gender-sensitive trade union and human rights education and non-violent approaches to conflict resolution.

On this 25 November, EI calls on governments to guarantee the provision of quality universal public services, in particular quality education and vocational training free of charge and with adequate facilities, qualified teachers, gender-sensitive relevant curricula, safe transportation, and sanitation. It is through these measures that girls and women with have the chance to achieve not only literacy but empowerment and the right to lead their lives free of the fear of violence and discrimination.



For further information go to

· EI Congress resolution on Gender Equality
http://download.ei-ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/2.4.1E_Gender_Equality.doc

· ITUC Trade unions say no to violence against women and girls
http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ITUC-violence-pageGB.pdf

· UN Women Virtual Knowledge Centre to end Violence against Women and Girls
http://www.endvawnow.org/

· UN Women 16 Steps to End Violence against Women
http://www.unwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/EN-16-Steps.pdf

Forum Kebebasan Akademik di Malaysia

Masa: Selasa, 1 November 2011 mulai 8.30 malam
Tempat: Bilik Wau, Rumah Universiti, Universiti Malaya

Anjuran Bersama:
Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (GERAK)
International Islamic Univesity Malaysia Academic Staff Association (IIUMASA)
Persatuan Kakitangan Akademik Universiti Malaya (PKAUM)

Aturcara:
1) Pengenalan kepada kebebasan akademik - Prof Madya Rosli H Mahat
2) Forum Kebebasan Akademik di Malaysia

Ahli Panel:
Prof Wan Manan Wan Muda (USM)
Dato Dr Denison Jayasooria (UKM)
Prof Madya Zaharom Naim (Nottingham U)
Mohd Zaki Sukery (GAMIS)

Academic Freedom Without Fear or Favour

Sharifah Hapsah Shahabudin
Vice Chancellor
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia


http://www.ukm.my/news/index.php/en/extras/881