By M. Gokoolaram Naidu
On 11.12.10, Ipoh City Watch and Perak Legal Aid Centre were given the honor to hold information booths to mark International Human Rights Day 2010 at De Garden Mall. The event was organized by Amnesty International which is a global movement of 2.8 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights.
This theme for 2010, “Human-Rights Defenders Who Act To End Discrimination,” reinforces the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a commitment to universal dignity and justice. It is not a luxury or a wish-list. The UDHR and its core values, inherent human dignity, non-discrimination, equality, fairness and universality, apply to everyone, everywhere and always. The Declaration is universal, enduring and vibrant, and it concerns us all.
The event was officially launched by State Assemblyman for Sungei Manik Y.B Dato’ Zainol Fadzi bin Haji Paharudin. In his speech he expressed that the human rights movement is itself becoming more global and diverse, connecting ever better across borders and disciplines in pursuit of a comprehensive human rights. Later he visited our booths where he picked up several pamphlets on display.
I briefed him on the aims, objectives, mission and vision of Perak Legal Aid Centre & Human-Rights Committee and Ipoh City Watch.
More than ever before, human- rights activists, community organizations and others are joining together working with those in power when sharing common objectives. Excitement was in the air when local actor Zahiril Adzim, who is also Amnesty International’s Ambassador, and actress Dira Abu Bakar made their appearance at the mall with the crowd milling slowly around them for autographs and photographs. There was also a Photo Exhibition on Homelessness and Exhibition on Death Penalty.
Since its adoption in 1948, the Declaration has been and continues to be a source of inspiration for national and international efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
An element in the protection of human rights is a widespread knowledge and understanding among people of what their rights are and how they can be defended. Sixty-two years on, we pay tribute to the extraordinary vision of the Declaration’s original drafters and to the many human rights defenders around the world who have struggled to make their vision a reality.
“It is difficult to imagine today just what a fundamental shift the Universal Declaration of Human Rights represented when it was adopted sixty-two years ago. In a post-war world scarred by the Holocaust, divided by colonialism and wracked by inequality, a charter setting out the first global and solemn commitment to the inherent dignity and equality of all human beings, regardless of colour, creed or origin, was a bold and daring undertaking”. (High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour)
The Declaration belongs to each and every one of us – read it, learn it, promote it and claim it as your own.