Human rights in post-transition Malaysia

Abstract

Whether measured by domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or international monitors, Malaysians’ enjoyment of human rights had continually, albeit erratically, deteriorated under the successive administrations of the National Front (Barisan Nasional, BN) that is dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Granted, Malaysia had not been as authoritarian a one-party state as many others in the region. It neither committed mass atrocities nor tolerated hard-core poverty. Carefully crafted development plans have even improved, albeit unevenly, the conditions of Malaysians’ health, education and employment as well as their standard of living.