Kopi O Khau Sikit Kurang Manis from Pusat KOMAS on Vimeo.

I had written that it would be most fortunate for the refugees landing in Australia and migrants and refugees in Malaysia if Four Corners did a programme on their predicament. Thanks to David Manne QC, refugees landing in Australia now have permanent reprieve from being sent to Malaysia.

What about the 90,000 plus refugees in Malaysia and the millions of legal and illegal migrant workers who are randomly and routinely targeted for extortion and abuse?

What about individuals who die in government detention centres or those who are tortured or summarily executed by the police?

Can justice be served and human rights be protected?

Will Malaysia now improve its human rights laws and practises?

Mr. Najib Razak should realise that international stature does not and will not come from flashy public relations or pandering to vested interests at home or abroad.

It comes from providing sound and principled leadership.

If Mr. Najib Razak wants to improve further his standing in the international community then he should take this setback by the High Court of Australia as an impetus to provide the required leadership to improve Malaysia’s human rights laws and practises.