Economic growth & technological progress aren't substitutes for human rights

Human rights are often overlooked in conversations concerning national development.

Look no further than at the level of discourse amongst Malaysian students in the UK concerning "nation building" and you can count with probably only 2 fingers the number of student societies that actually talk about human rights.

It seems almost as if as long as the economy grows and technological progress is embraced, ladies and gents, we gon' be alright.

That confidence..

Popular media portrayal of futuristic cities with huge technological advancements are perhaps partially to be blamed for people's perception that a technological advanced society is the perfect picture of a developed nation.

A technologically savvy and "rich" nation may seem ideal on paper but if such a nation on closer inspection reveals a severe disregard for the respect and protection of human rights, I would personally refrain from calling such a nation as developed.

It wouldn't be too far-fetched to call it a totalitarian nightmare instead.

Technological progress has brought with it many benefits as apparent from the rise of the internet, which kicked open the door for the improvement of social connectivity, entertainment, information sharing, infrastructure, sale of goods and services as well as the improvement in the overall quality of life.

Technological progress has also played a role in the improvement of the state of human rights in countries such as Malaysia. The internet has given the citizens of Malaysia platforms to exercise their freedom to speech in a manner which hasn't been done before by enabling the citizens to express and share their views on various topics while enabling access to news outlets that provide an alternative view on national issues other than those reported by printed newspapers which have often been deemed by many to be under the heavy influence of the state.

But technology in the hands of those in power can be a dangerous thing and just as it has provided wonderful platforms for the exercise of rights such as the freedom of speech, it has also provided more opportunities for such fundamental rights to be restricted and infringed.

with great power..comes great responsibility

State driven actions in recent years of blocking access to news sites, film censorship, prosecution of individuals for social media posts and the raid of a news portal's office show that the infringement of fundamental rights of citizens in Malaysia is still very much an issue that does not seem to be going away anytime soon despite whatever technological progress we may have in light of the power that such progress affords to the state.

Factor in the NSA leaks by Edward Snowden and the recent news about China's surveillance network and you have a chilling picture of how without care, human rights can potentially be swept aside in the name of development and of course for "your own good". Don't even get me started on China's planned social credit system.

Satire always gets it right

Economic growth, on the other hand, has often been a focus of development for many years and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country (aka everyone's favourite measuring stick for economic growth) is a key factor in the consideration of whether a nation has achieved the status of a "developed nation".

However, economic growth should not be the only focus of development. It is an important factor but it should not overshadow other important considerations.

When a country's economy grows it means the size of the pie has increased but it does not necessarily mean that everyone is getting a fair share of the pie and opportunities to access such a pie is not equal either.

Have some pi(e)

Certain costs such as costs to the environment might not necessarily be factored into the calculation of the size of the pie depending on the method used. Some things that are difficult to measure such as cultural richness, harmony and racial tension are also difficult to fit into the measuring stick of GDP.

The Human Development Index (HDI) provides a complimentary tool that can help to better assess the social conditions of a nation by taking into consideration the life expectancy as well as education levels of a country but the HDI is often overlooked.

Now, while it is good that TN50 discussions amongst youths in Malaysia has touched on more topics than just economic growth and technological progress and has ventured to discussions about a green society, income inequality, education and so on, topics which are very important for a nation to discuss, it is depressing to note that human rights have barely been raised.

Who has time for human rights when people are starving?

Do not be fooled the next time a Southeast Asian leader says that nobody has time for human rights when people are starving. This is a misconception.

Human rights and economic development are not mutually exclusive and the former carves out a path for the latter.

In fact, matters such as right to adequate food, adequate housing and right to water and sanitation fall within the ambit of socioeconomic rights which are sometimes referred to as second generation human rights. (keep in mind that the first generation of human rights are not even upheld most of the time)

Even access to a sustainable environment fall within the ambit of human rights as it is acknowledged by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment that "a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment is integral to the full enjoyment of a wide range of human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, water and sanitation."

Human rights do not detract from the development of a country but rather provides a good compass for development.

A country can talk all about economic growth and technological progress all they want but if human rights are consciously and continuously ignored, we are going to be left with a ticking time bomb.

Human rights is a western concept.

And so is economics, democracy and your iPhones.

Jokes aside, human rights is not a western concept, it's a universal one.

In fact, fundamental rights are enshrined and protected in our Federal Constitution. Although they may not be extensive as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, they reflect freedoms that are acknowledged to be a core part of us as human beings.

I would argue that we could have included a few more in the Federal Constitution.

I find it surprising that the conversation on human rights seem almost taboo for a majority of Malaysians. Perhaps it's deemed to be an elitist concept that only certain people can understand when this is in fact untrue.

However, for me, economic theories are more inaccessible to the lay man than the concept of human rights.

There are some things that the majority of us know in our hearts to be wrong regardless of the religion we practice or the upbringing that we have and some may lose sight of this but the existence of a secular and universal document such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights serve as a reminder of how each human being should be treated regardless of whatever nominal factor that differentiates us.

So, give me a wealthy nation and give me a technologically progressive country but if that country prosecutes or detains a man without a fair trial, seeks to hunt and persecute a group of individuals that do not profess a religion, control my freedom to express my thoughts and opinions on political matters, discriminate me based on my ancestral origin and the pixels of my skin, mow over the land of the indigenous people and refuse to acknowledge that torture is illegal then forgive me for refusing to call such a nation as developed either by 2020 or 2050.

Developing the economy of a country and its technology is one thing but developing the heart and mind of a nation is another.