取消 · ·
分享
Vale Irene Fernandez - Fearless Malaysian champion of rights
Updated 1 April 2014, 13:34 AEST
One of Malaysia's most recognisable rights campaigner, Irene Fernandez has died of heart failure at the age of 67.
Vale Irene Fernandez - Fearless Malaysian champion of rights (Credit: ABC)
Tributes poured in on social media for Ms Fernandez, who founded the migrant rights NGO Tenaganita (Women's Power).
The Malay Mail described her as "a great daughter of Malaysia" but the authorities may beg to differ.
One person who knew Ms Fernandez well, is veteran campaigner Cynthia Gabriel, who's a board member of the Malaysian
human rights group Suaram.
Presenter: Sen Lam
Speakers: Cynthia Gabriel, board member of Malaysia's human rights group Suaram
LAM: Cynthia Gabriel, Irene Fernandez cared deeply about the
marginalised & those who didn't have a voice, but she was also a
constant irritant to the Malaysian authorities, wasn't she?
GABRIEL: Absolutely. She really gave them a very difficult time,
because she was very unrelenting in the cause that she pursued and I
think she was so committed, so dedicated and with so much perserverence
that she was actually charged in 1995, for releasing a report on the
conditions of migrant workers in detention camps. And for that, she was
actually charged and found guilty in 2003 and sentenced to a year's
jail. So she was more than an irritant, I think she was really a
nuisance, someone that the Malaysian government wished would retire much
earlier than she actually did. Knowing Irene, she just treaded on,
until it was time to go.
LAM: And of course, that detention and
conviction put Irene Fernandez firmly on the consciousness of the
international media. But she was never really quite cowed by the
Malaysian authorities, was she? She just pressed on?
GABRIEL:
Absolutely. Fear was never something in her vocabulary, to be honest.
She was never afraid that harassment and her personal security would be
in jeopardy as a result of her work. She just kept going on, because her
motivation was really to bring some amount of rights to the most
vulnerable communities in Malaysia and that is the migrants, and
trafficked people in the country.
LAM: And she was also
investigated as recently as two years ago, for alleged sedition. Many
people on social media have described Irene Fernandez as 'fearless', but
did she ever confide to you, the pressures and the challenges of her
work?
GABRIEL: Well, very much so, because I think both of us
found ourselves in very similar situations when it comes to working for
human rights and good governance in Malaysia, because generally human
rights advocates are not lauded, not applauded and not respected.
They're treated as a nuisance and irritants, as you mentioned just now.
And so, the protection for human rights defenders and for
whistle-blowers are almost nil in Malaysia.
So we're constantly
hounded and constantly harassed by authorities, especially when we prick
the holes, or press the right buttons which the Malaysian government
often finds itself on the defensive. And so, this is a constant sharing
among many activists and definitely between Irene and I, we've had many
laughs also, about why we do this sometimes. And I think we've grown
stronger, knowing that we have each other to actually carry on the work.
But I must say that Irene is a giant among mankind. And she really is a
legend among not just Malaysians, but among global rights advocates,
because she stood out, and she was no ordinary human rights activist.
She stood out with her passion and her strength and her dedication,
which spanned more than three decades.
LAM: And since the early
days of Tenaganita and Suaram, how would you rate rights activism in
Malaysia today - is it better resourced and louder, perhaps?
GABRIEL: Well, the voices for human rights defence have definitely
grown bigger, and I think that is what has motivated Irene to continue,
despite the fact that doctors had told her to reduce her work, to
retire, and so on.
The atmosphere here, the energy and momentum,
especially in the lead up to last year's election was so eletricfying
that I believe Irene was even more inspired that the work to promote and
protect the rights of all Malaysians, including the rights of migrant
workers, was something that was very achieveable and something that we
could reach, if we joined hands and if we worked on this together.
