Pada 4 Jun 2010, Soh Sook Hwa yang memohon ulasan judisi ke atas kes AUKU (Akta Universiti dan kolej Universiti 1971) bercanggah dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan telah ditolak oleh Makahmah Tinggi.  Oleh itu, Soh Sook Hwa harus membayar kos pentadbiran mahkamah sebanyak RM3000 dalam tempoh masa 30 hari.

Atas perjuangan Soh Sook Hwa untuk menuntut hak dan kebebasan semua mahasiswa, maka kami akan mengadakan kempen seorang seringgit untuk mengumpulkan RM3000 sebagai pembayaran ke atas kos pentadbiran mahkamah dan sokongan terhadap perjuangan beliau.

Latar Belakang:

Pada bulan Disember 2004, pihak Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) telah mendakwa Soh Sook Hwa dari Pusat Pengajian Komunikasi bahawa saudari telah melanggar Seksyen 15 AUKU berdasarkan sekeping gambar yang menunjukkan dia memakai baju kemeja -T yang memaparkan logo parti pembangkang yang dipaparkan dalam sebuah akhbar tempatan.

Soh Sook Hwa dikenakan tindakan tatatertib universiti dengan hukuman denda sebanyak RM200 dan diberikan amaran keras atas sebab saudari dituduh berkempen untuk calon Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Tian Chua di kawasan Parlimen Batu, Kuala Lumpur.  Namun demikian, sembilan pensyarah universiti telah membayar RM200 sebagai sokongan ke atas Soh pada masa itu.

Tindakan Soh Sook Hwa merupakan kes pertama mahasiswa yang mencabar kesahihan AUKU, terutamanya dalam kandungan AUKU yang melarang ahli akademik dan mahasiswa terbabit dalam politik tanpa kebenaran pihak universiti terlebih dahulu.

Soh juga membuat permohonan untuk semakan terhadap keputusan kementerian yang menolak rayuannya berhubung tindakan yang dikenakan oleh lembaga disiplin USM.

Soh memohon pengisytiharan bahawa Seksyen 15 AUKU – yang melarang mahasiswa meyertai persatuan atau parti politik – dan beberapa peruntukan lain dalam peraturan dan tatatertib USM sebagai akta yang bercanggah dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan.  Kes makahmah ditangguhkan atas masalah teknikal kehakiman sepanjang lima tahun.

Akhirnya, pada 4 Jun 2010 Mahkamah Tinggi atas hakim Mohd Zawawi Salleh telah menolak permohonan saudari Soh Sook Hwa untuk membuat semakan kehakiman terhadap AUKU atas dua sebab, iaitu prosiding USM terhadap Soh adalah tidak bercanggahan dan Akta ke-15 dalam AUKU telah digubalkan oleh kementerian.

Bagi pihak Tuan/Puan/Cik yang ingin menderma, sila membuat dermaan melalui bank dengan

Nombor Bank Akaun:  137-202-200053-4
Bank: AmBank
Nama Penerima: DEMA ENTERPRISE

Sekiranya penderma ingin mendedahkan maklumat (nama dan jumlah dermaan), sila hantar maklumat kepada:

Khaw Seng Hean, dengan alamat email carlitokhaw@gmail.com, dan nombor telefon 016-4045348.

Untuk pengetahuan pihak Tuan/Puan/Cik, tempoh kempen pendermaan adalah dari 14hb Jun 2010 sehingga 1hb Julai 2010.

Sekian terima kasih.

*Kenyataan oleh Yap Heng Lung selaku Setiausaha Pentadbiran DEMA.

The FreedomFilmFest film proposal competition is officially closed!

KOMAS would like to thank everyone for the submission and support throughout the competition stage. Do check back this space to see what exciting films can we expect for this year’s FreedomFilmFest annual film festival!

KOMAS FreedomFilmFest is proud to announce that the winning film of FreedomFilmFest2006 ‘The Invisible Children‘ by Hariati Azizan, has been invited to enter the Australian Refugee Film Festival. The Australian Refugee Film Festival is held in Sydney, Australia and coincides with Refugee Week, June 20th to June 26th.

Synopsis: In Malaysia, there are about 9,000 refugee children living in the fringes of our society, leading a marginalized existence. These children are denied access to adequate education, which is imposing a poor prospect for their future. Even if they are receiving some schooling, they are usually relegated to substandard educational facilities, poorer quality of instruction and fewer teaching materials, let alone getting any opportunities for higher education.

To get download links for this documentary, please visit Engagemedia.org. You can also inquire about getting a DVD version by emailing freedomfilmfest@komas.org.

For further information regarding the Australian Refugee Film Festival, please visit their official website HERE.
- visit our website

Event: FreedomFilmFest (FFF) Screenings
Date: 8 May 2010, 1.30 pm – 3.00 pm
Venue: Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ) Hall, Jalan Pandan Ilmu, Pandan Indah.

In conjuction with the Earth Day celebrations, FreedomFilmFest will be screening “Twelve 11 (Winner of FFF2006)” and “What Rainforest?”. Do join us for the film screenings and participate in our Q&A session with filmmaker Hilary Chiew.

The FreedomFilmFest Roadshows will be heading to KDU College. Do join us for the screening of one of the winning FreedomFilmFest2009 films – Kayuh by Soh Sook Hwa!

Date: 5 May 2010
Time: 12.00 PM
Venue: Taylors College Lakeside Campus, Subang Jaya.

Film screening will be followed by a Q&A session.

Penusah Tana (The Forgotten Struggle) was first screened in London as part of the Freedom Film Festival Retrospective in 2009. The documentary will be screened again at an event hosted by Solicitors International Human Rights Group. Hilary Chiew, the film-maker, will be present to discuss the film and take questions. The Malaysia-EU timber negotiations will also be discussed.

Date: 17 April 2010
Venue : BPP Law School, Room 5.7, 68-70 Red Lion Street, Holborn,
London, WC1R 4NY
Time : 13:00 – 15:00

To book, please email malaysia@sihrg.org

For over 20 years, Ajang Kiew, a Penan Leader, has been setting up road blocks to protect his land from the intrusion of logging companies. Setting up blockades or being in the vicinity of one is punishable offence in Sarawak. In this documentary, Ajang Kiew sets up one final struggle before the remaining forest is cleared for oil palm plantations.

Looking back at the historic struggle of the Penans, the film locates a pivotal moment in logging politics when foreign activists backed off from putting pressure on Malaysia to return home to lobby their own governments instead.

At the height of the anti-logging campaign in 1987, a 10 year old boy from Camberley in Surrey writes a letter to Dr.Mahathir calling the logging practices in Malaysia ‘disgraceful’. Stoked, the Prime Minister writes back with the full might of his scorn. The 3-page letter was well-publicised in the UK although the public in Malaysia was not aware that such a correspondence had taken place.

For more information, please visit here.

Nasi Bungkus Cinema will be bringing FreedomFilmFest to you! Do join us for the screening of one of the winning FreedomFilmFest2009 films – Al Fatihah Memali by Rahmat Haron and the latest documentary by Anna Har – Selepas Tsunami (After The Tsunami) !

Date: 21 April 2010
Time: 5.30 PM
Venue: Plenary Theatre, Monash University College Malaysia (Click here for MAP)

Film screenings will be followed by a Q&A session.

The FreedomFilmFest Roadshows will be heading to KDU College. Do join us for the screening of one of the winning FreedomFilmFest2009 films – Kayuh by Soh Sook Hwa!

Date: 27 April 2010
Time: 2.00 PM
Venue: KDU College, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya.

Film screening will be followed by a Q&A session.

The FreedomFilmFest Roadshows will be heading to IACT College. Do join us for the screening of one of the winning FreedomFilmFest2009 films – Kayuh by Soh Sook Hwa!

Date: 27 April 2010
Time: 11.00 AM
Venue: IACT College, Jaya One, Petaling Jaya.

Film screening will be followed by a Q&A session.

In collaboration with Kelab Seni Filem, FreedomFilmFest was officially launched for the 7th year on March 11, 2010 to a packed audience of 120 people at the HELP University College in Kuala Lumpur.

Guests at the registration counter.

This launch by KOMAS signified the opening for submission of entries for the annual film proposal competition. This beginning promises to bring more new and exciting untold stories of Malaysia to be seen in videos soon! We dare ordinary Malaysians to document their human rights stories!

Ms Anna Har, Board member of KOMAS

KOMAS is proud to announce that for the first time in 7 years, the FreedomFilmFest is funded by the European Union through the EU’s flagship programme – the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights. It provides funds for civil society actors worldwide to promote human rights.

Executive Director of KOMAS giving welcome remarks.

At the launch, Executive Director and founder of KOMAS, Mr Tan Jo Hann shared about how the FreedomFilmFest was founded and that it was developed to highlight the significance of human rights because they are about our lives and society. He also said that the FFF has been providing an open space for the freedom of information and expression in Malaysian context.

Ms Adrienn Salai, Third Secretary of Political affair of the European Union Delegation to Malaysia stated that the FreedomFilmFest “provides a unique platform to discuss issues which may otherwise be difficult to address”.

Ms Adrienn Salai, addressing the audience at the launch.

The launch highlight was the screening of KOMAS’s latest documentary film “Selepas Tsunami” (After The Tsunami) made by renowned film makers Anna Har and Brenda Danker.(Directors of the film “GADOH”). The film depicts the changes in governance and Malaysian society after the March 8, 2008 general elections.

After the screening, an exciting and intense discussion was carried out where members of the audience including filmmakers, politicians, activists, lawyers and students shared their views and commented on the film and its content. Although there were some differences in opinions, but they were all well received and accepted in the trues spirit of democracy and freedom of expression.

To find out more on how you can submit your film proposal to win a grant of RM6,000, please visit HERE.

FreedomFilmFest is organised by KOMAS and funded by the European Commission in co-operation with Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Selepas Tsunami (After The Tsunami)

Director/ Pengarah: Anna Har
Producer/Penerbit: Big Pictures for KOMAS
Duration/Masa: 36 minutes

FILM SYNOPSIS Sinopsis Filem
The 12th general election did not only result in the change of government in four states or the lost of Barisan Nasional two-thirds
majority in Parliament.

It brought along many practices never seen before in the government system.

In Selangor a body under the state assembly was formed to monitor the use of public funds.In the federal Parliament the increase presence of opposition representatives has resulted in more serious debates.

Today Umno and Barisan Nasional has started speaking the language of change. However, the real reform process is not as easy as voting on polling day.

This documentary discusses the meaning behind those promised changes.

Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 bukan setakat melibatkan perubahan empat kerajaan negeri atau kehilangan kuasa dua pertiga Barisan Nasional di Parlimen. Malah, ianya telah membawa pelbagai amalan yang sebelum ini tidak wujud dan tampak asing dirasakan oleh rakyat buat julung kalinya.

Dokumentari ini menggambarkan maksud di sebalik perubahan yang sering dicanangkan.

For more information about this documentary and for updates on latest screenings, please email info@komas.org or visit http://www.komas.org.