IzniandHerThoughts

I once had the opportunity to assist in a case involving an undocumented migrant. He was from Myanmar, awaiting deportation after getting arrested for not having proper documentation. The deportation date has been fixed. There was no time to waste. When the case came to us, we were two or three days away from preventing the deportation from happening. Long story short, we were told that if he was deported back, he would face persecution by Myanmar’s authorities due to his past activities relating to the anti-government movement. We could not meet him. There was simply no time. We did what we could, hoping it would be enough. Now, under international law ( which I always believe is bullshit anyway, as the country’s sovereignty would always be an issue ), there is this principle of non-refoulment. Simply put, you are not supposed to send someone back to a place where there is a potential danger to their life.  However, international law is not binding upon us. Malaysia is also no...

I first came across the term strategic litigation when my boss forwarded us an event registration link via email. He wrote, sign up and the firm will pay . I checked the link. There, it stated that the training is fully sponsored by the organizer, the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (“ MCCHR ”). So, I had no idea what my boss meant when he said that the firm will pay. ( But I later realized that he IS part of MCCHR, so maybe that's what he meant .) Anyway, I went ahead and signed up. I had no expectation or knowledge about what will happen. In the beginning, I even thought that strategic litigation meant selective prosecution. I later found out how wrong I was. Among others, the following was what I had learned in the training that spanned over 4 days: What strategic litigation is; What internet freedom is and how it relates to the freedom of speech and expression under Article 10 of our Federal Constitution; The relevance of international human rights...

When I was 14, I argued with a friend of mine about his views on JWW Birch abolishing the slavery system in Perak, which then, among many other reasons, led him to his death. It was the first time I was knocked with some sense that not everything in our history textbook is in the narrative that the authors want us to believe.  I was in disbelief when my friend told me that what Birch did was not wrong. His reason - slavery is indeed wrong anyway. But being 14 years old and as childish as I was, I immediately questioned his patriotism. From my point of view at that time, he was sympathizing with Birch. Standing with what the colonizer did could only mean one thing, that you're not being patriotic enough.  More to me being angry was because I truly believe that history was whatever that appears on the pages of my history textbooks. If the textbook says that this particular person is bad, then it only feels right and patriotic to believe it and adopt such a view as well. History ...

Terjemahan cerpen ini telah memenangi  Pertandingan Menterjemah Piala Drs Chin Yook Chin yang dianjurkan   Persatuan Penterjemahan dan Penulisan Kreatif Malaysia (PERSPEKTIF)  pada Mac 2021 bagi kategori Hadiah Terjemahan Baik. Cerpen asal ditulis oleh Ding Yun ( 丁云 ) yang bertajuk 沉重的都市. Bandar yang Sayu Itu – Ding Yun Di bandar berhampiran laut itu, aku turun dari kereta dengan menggalas beg pakaian serba ringkas lalu melangkah di antara kumpulan manusia yang sesak di stesen bas itu. Aku kemudian menuju ke arah beberapa buah beca yang sedang menunggu penumpang.  “Tumpang tanya, berapa harga tambang untuk ke tanjung?” “Tanjung? Bahagian mana?” Aku mengeluarkan satu buku kecil dari dalam poket, lantas memeriksanya. “Tanjung...Nombor 14 Jalan Ibrahim." “Oh, Ibrahim apanya, jalan rumah pelacuran itulah!” Seorang pembawa beca yang lain meningkah dan berkata, “Ambil tiga ringgit lah.” “Tiga ringgit? Boleh kurangkan harga sedikit?” Dalam keadaan kewangan yang ke...

I used to wonder how I would end my final year of law school, what I would do when that important day finally comes. Usually, after every final examination, my friends and I would enjoy our short freedom from law school by having meals together. It was such a simple way to celebrate, but it is also the most common way to bring friends closer.  I had imagined since it is going to be our final year in the place that shaped us as young adults, I bet we would go around the faculty, lingering around at every familiar corner, and take as many group photos as we could. We would see people hugging and congratulating each other, saying we're so gonna miss each other, and the atmosphere will just be so lively with overlapping talks and laughter.  Simple moments like those suddenly seem so precious now. And I realized now that it was those mundane moments that we cherished and missed the most. Never had I imagined the current reality we are facing now. Instead of all those things we shou...

Hello! I had recently taken my first jab of AZ vaccine and I'd like to share my experiences here.  Well. it was not an easy journey to even register for the vaccine but I'm sure this is a common struggle faced by most Malaysian during the registration period. I mean, with the delayed opening time and all other system failures. Pheww, I'm glad that it's over. Let's just skip that and get to the day I finally got the jab! The Jab I chose the 25th of June as my vaccination date. I actually wanted to choose an earlier date because I would be having an examination on the 29th of June. But well, I had accidentally chosen such a date and I was too lazy to call them and change it.  Anyway, I was really excited to take the jab. On the 25th of June, at around 4pm, I went to the examination hall in the University of Malaya, the location where I would be taking my vaccine. There were RELA guards watching over everywhere, watching the traffic and guiding you into the hall. Ther...