Constitution needs a complete overhaul

Malaysiakini (1/11/2007): A complete overhaul of the Federal Constitution is needed now more than ever due to its failure to live up to international human rights standards and the aim of national integration, and because of the attacks on it by the executive and its dilution by the judiciary.

Making a case for this yesterday was human rights lawyer Edmund Bon who presented a paper on the topic - ‘Foraging for Rights to Forge a Nation: Is it Time to Reconstitute the Malaysian Constitution? - at the closing session of the three-day 14th Malaysian Law Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Human rights and citizens’ identity are two related but indispensable features of a constitution and a nation-building project because guaranteeing human rights, in particular the right to non-discrimination, gives the citizen an equal share in the nation and sense of ownership, said Bon in his 21-page paper. (Full report)