ABSTRACT
The Malaysian government’s position on human rights has largely been based on the arguments that it is necessary to curtail some civil liberties in order to achieve economic development and national security, and that human rights should be subjected to interpretation based on local norms, values, religious traditions and national priorities (López 2001, 2007). Such a position goes against the United Nations’ formulation of human rights – that they are universal, that is, regardless of national, regional, historical, cultural and religious backgrounds; and indivisible and interdependent, that is, all rights must be respected at all times (UN 1993) – which many Asian governments, including Malaysia’s, have claimed to be ‘Western-centric’ (Bauer and Bell 1999).
