By: Natalie
Shobana Ambrose
theSun, Malaysia
(pg 13 )December 13, 2012
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe
Every year since 1974, the National Council of Teachers of English
issues a Doublespeak Award as an "ironic tribute to public speakers who
have perpetuated language that is grossly deceptive, evasive, euphemistic,
confusing or self-centred".
Yes, you guessed it; the illustrious award list is filled with names of
public figures or organisations except for one year. In 2008, the award was
given for the term "aspirational goal". Individually, the words mean
the same thing, as cited by the NCTE, however combined, the word means "a
goal to which one does not aspire all that much." This was cited in two
instances involving George Bush – in setting a deadline to remove troops from
Iraq and again at an Apec forum to reduce carbon emissions and slowing global
warming .
Doublespeak and aspirational goals are the expected norm in politics it
seems. No one really knows what anyone is saying any more, especially when an
election is near. We have days when the politicians advocate a one nation for
everyone and then later in the week, there's a whole slew of racial speak. It's
almost like the leaders are saying "stop me when you hear something you
like and ignore the rest." This is when the people start feeling like
their intelligence is being insulted and they are repeatedly being taken for a
ride.
It's an epidemic that happens around the world. But lets talk about
Malaysia's doublespeak in regards to UN conventions especially since Monday
marked Human Rights Day. Of the nine core Human Rights Conventions, Malaysia
has only signed three. Countries within Asean – Indonesia, Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam have signed or ratified at the very least
seven. Malaysia may have signed three, but we have major reservations on two of
them making our three years (yeas/ yes) close to void.
Perhaps we should pat our politicians on the back for not willy-nilly
signing things they can't deliver or fully implement. Neither does signing on
to something translate to an automatic change of how things work. That's one
way of looking at it I suppose but then again, shouldn't we be working towards
improving our laws and beliefs to agree to these conventions with conviction?
If we are, it's taking too long.
It's understandable, if what is being asked goes against sane moral
judgment but these include the 1951 Convention on Refugees and withdrawing
reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and on All Forms of
Discrimination against Women .
Imagine our diplomats overseas having to answer why an almost developed
status country is pussyfooting on conventions like the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, Convention Against Torture and the Convention on
the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination. It must be pretty
difficult not to be apologetic when responding especially since we are regional
members of the Human Rights Council.
Our doublespeak echoes too loudly declaring "do as I say, not what
I do". We pride ourselves in signing the Asean Declaration on Human
Rights, yet locally that document carries no weight in how our laws, privileges
and discriminations are being fortified and endorsed. It's time our parallel
worlds of domestic and foreign policy merged to avoid being deemed hypocrites
insulting not only our culture as Asians but our honesty, integrity and our
religious beliefs.
I guess the question is do we really want to be leaders in all aspects
of governance championing causes that are right, not just those that are right
for us? Then every claim, speech, promise, declaration, law, convention that we
put our name to needs to be verified true not just on paper or at a time of
pre-election campaigning but continuously matched before we be given the
doublespeak award.
These are issues that should not be "aspirational goals"
especially since next year Malaysia will have to present its Universal
Periodical Review detailing how our leaders have improved the state of human
rights in the country. This being the second time we present will mean we
cannot hide behind an accumulative trophy chest of improvements from the past
55 years since independence as we did the first time we presented in 2009. This
time it will be tougher and rightly so.
Natalie is reaffirming her
right to voice her opinion without fear, shame or threat in the spirit of this
year's Human Rights Day theme 'Inclusion and the Right to Participate in Public Life' Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
