Human Rights Week by TLMUN
2020 became the year of social justice movements and radical political imagination. The cracks revealed in the social systems of our nation fuelled national anger and marked a surging movement of activism seeking for change. This inevitably has called for a greater discussion and raised public consciousness on human rights as it is in times like these that our moral obligation to defend human rights matter more than ever.
Taylor’s Model United Nations Club recently launched the Human Rights Week from the 14th to 18th of December. Each day, an infographic of one human right is posted on their Instagram page (@tlmun_club). These informative and illuminating posts touched on rights to healthcare, rights to food, rights to education, rights to equality and rights to freedom of speech.
Along with comprehensive statistics provided, various organisations in Malaysia to help promote and protect our basic rights were mentioned. In addition, an IGTV video featuring Subashan Vadibeler, a passionate medical student at University of Malaya and a recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. He spoke ardently on health inequities and the state of healthcare in our country and how the pandemic has affected our rights to healthcare.
In conjunction with Human Rights Week, TLMUN Herald hosted an article writing competition with the topic “Is freedom of speech a double edged sword?”. There is a cash prize of RM 100, a certificate for all participants and the winning article will be published in the newsletter. More information can be found on the club’s Instagram page, including the sign up link.
Herald was able to interview two members, Rishen and Daniel, from the TLMUN club regarding the process of preparing for the Human Rights Week and some very insightful responses were given.
How did you come up with the idea to host Human Rights Week?
Rishen: We wanted to do something that could help make the concept of Model United Nations more digestible for people unfamiliar with it and the United Nations as a whole. I think a lot of people truly do have the interest in both the activity that is MUN, and the humanitarian work that the UN does, but feel it’s a concept that’s too big for them to actually try to get involved in. We hoped that by having a week dedicated to raising awareness on what the rights that every human is entitled to, we could help people understand that the values upheld by the UN and our club are simple enough that everyone can both familiarise themselves with and pitch in to help as well.
What were some hardships faced in the process of making Human Rights Week possible?
Rishen: I personally can’t take much credit for the brunt of the work that was done for this event, as the scope of my job was mostly limited to the event planning. The people who truly shined through were the committee members of the Operations vertical. In less than three weeks they managed to secure a very prolific speaker, do the write ups and the research necessary for the post, design the posters for all six posts, and finally edit the video of the guest speaker. It definitely showed the competence of our new committee members to produce quality work despite the tight time frame, and I couldn’t be more proud of their contributions.
Why were those five particular rights chosen?
Rishen : The rights to education, food and healthcare are things that a lot of people take for granted as things they’ll always be guaranteed. Undeniably, most Taylor’s students do fit into the category of people who’ve never had to second guess whether they’ll be able to afford getting sick, afford going to school, or afford to even eat their next meal. Empathy is something that gets thrown around a lot, but it goes a long way in helping people realise why some people don’t have the opportunities to perform or excel as well, and how much society as a whole benefits when we help communities get these opportunities.
As for the rights to equality and the freedom of speech, they’re things that affect all of us whether we think about it or not. You can work as hard as you want and be given all the opportunities but if people choose to look at you just as a certain gender or certain race, suddenly those things don’t matter anymore. And that’s where the freedom of speech comes in, being able to speak out against all of these issues and to try and solve any of them requires us to have the fundamental ability to speak out about them without persecution.
What was the most interesting fact in your research of human rights?
Rishen : A fun fact that I learnt during my research on human rights was that in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 24 declares the right to holiday and leisure with pay a fundamental human right. Of course it was made with more serious implications, but I think it helped come as a reminder to me that taking a break isn’t just for when you’re completely burnt out or only when you’ve finished each and every piece of work you have on your plate. We all deserve a break because we just do, and it’s important enough that it’s a fundamental human right for you to take a break from work. It may seem like you’re undeserving of a break right now, but if you need it you should just take it.
Daniel : The most interesting fact that I have learned in my research regarding human rights was the fact that its initial inception was actually a tool in international foreign policy. It was formed by Western states, who were able to commit to a standard of rights given to all humans, something which the Soviet Union and its allies could not. It was an effective tool for the Western states in antagonizing the Soviets on the international stage, as morality backed the former.
Which human right do you think is most violated in our country?
Rishen : I don’t think it’s the question of which human right is violated the most that’s important. I could give a straightforward answer, but it ignores the fact that each human right is interconnected to one another. If the right to equality is denied, it can infringe on an individual’s right to education, freedom of speech, even their right to healthcare. Similarly when someone lacks the right to education, it can affect multiple aspects of their life, such as income, and take away things like their right to healthcare. That’s why I don’t think looking at one right as more important than another is correct, because if you don’t try to plug all the holes at the same time, they will all just keep getting bigger.
Daniel : One of the most would be the right to expression and free speech. That being said, significant strides have been made ever since the electoral victory of Pakatan Harapan in 2018 and it continues (although stagnantly) under the Muhyiddin government.
Are there any human rights activists that have inspired you?
Rishen : For the sake of their privacy I can’t name them here, but a lot of people that I’ve met since I started to do Model United Nations have truly given me more inspiration than any historical human rights activists. I’ve seen people who’ve gone to protests, started charity drives for the underprivileged and dared to voice their opinions even if it meant arrest. Having people like this so close to me where I’ve heard their experiences directly from them inspires me to keep pushing myself to do whatever I can in the things I believe in.
[Written by: Cassandra Marcos]
