Noeleen Heyzer, wife of late Fan Yew Teng, is new UN envoy for Myanmar
Singaporean is an established activist, renowned for her work in women, society and youth-based organisations
Noeleen Heyzer's decades-long work in peacebuilding and societal development has made her one of the highest-ranking Singaporeans in the United Nations. – AFP pic, October 26, 2021
KUALA LUMPUR – Noeleen Heyzer, widow of prominent Malaysian rights activist Fan Yew Teng, has been appointed as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres’ special envoy on Myanmar. She succeeds Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland.
Considered to be one of the highest-ranking Singaporeans in the United Nations, Heyzer has undertaken extensive missions to conflict-affected countries around the world, engaging women and a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, youth and faith-based organisations.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for her work to improve the lives of women, and promoting peace and justice.
Her latest appointment as envoy was announced by Guterres yesterday.
Her late husband Fan had in his lifetime served as acting secretary-general of DAP, and also been MP twice – for Kampar and Menglembu. He had also served as Petaling Jaya assemblyman.
Fan, who passed away in 2010, had written several books on human rights and politics in Malaysia, and had also for some time been an editor for DAP journal The Rocket.
In a statement, the UN acknowledged Heyzer as the first woman to serve as executive secretary of its Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific between 2007 and 2014.
“Ms Heyzer focused on regional cooperation for a more resilient Asia-Pacific, founded on shared prosperity, social equity and sustainable development,” said a statement issued by the UN yesterday.
“In the period 2008-2009, she worked closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the government of Myanmar and the United Nations in the recovery efforts following Cyclone Nargis and led a dialogue with Myanmar’s leaders on development and poverty reduction.”
From 2013 to 2015, Heyzer was made then UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon’s special adviser for Timor Leste, working to support peacebuilding, state-building and sustainable development there.
“As executive director of Unifem (UN Development Fund for Women)(1994-2007), she played a critical role in the security council’s formulation and implementation of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security,” the statement added.
She also sits on the governing board of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and is a distinguished fellow of Singapore Management University and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. – The Vibes, October 26, 2021
KUALA LUMPUR – Noeleen Heyzer, widow of prominent Malaysian rights activist Fan Yew Teng, has been appointed as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres’ special envoy on Myanmar. She succeeds Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland.
Considered to be one of the highest-ranking Singaporeans in the United Nations, Heyzer has undertaken extensive missions to conflict-affected countries around the world, engaging women and a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, youth and faith-based organisations.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for her work to improve the lives of women, and promoting peace and justice.
Her latest appointment as envoy was announced by Guterres yesterday.
Her late husband Fan had in his lifetime served as acting secretary-general of DAP, and also been MP twice – for Kampar and Menglembu. He had also served as Petaling Jaya assemblyman.
Fan, who passed away in 2010, had written several books on human rights and politics in Malaysia, and had also for some time been an editor for DAP journal The Rocket.
In a statement, the UN acknowledged Heyzer as the first woman to serve as executive secretary of its Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific between 2007 and 2014.
“Ms Heyzer focused on regional cooperation for a more resilient Asia-Pacific, founded on shared prosperity, social equity and sustainable development,” said a statement issued by the UN yesterday.
“In the period 2008-2009, she worked closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the government of Myanmar and the United Nations in the recovery efforts following Cyclone Nargis and led a dialogue with Myanmar’s leaders on development and poverty reduction.”
From 2013 to 2015, Heyzer was made then UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon’s special adviser for Timor Leste, working to support peacebuilding, state-building and sustainable development there.
“As executive director of Unifem (UN Development Fund for Women)(1994-2007), she played a critical role in the security council’s formulation and implementation of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security,” the statement added.
She also sits on the governing board of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and is a distinguished fellow of Singapore Management University and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. – The Vibes, October 26, 2021
***
kt notes:
Many of you may not realise who Fan Yew Teng was. He left DAP after a falling out with Lim Kit Siang in the way Lee Lam Thye had, but more specifically he criticised Singapore PAP for its failings in human rights just as he criticised Malaysia's BN for the same. But Lim KS did not criticised the PAP. It was many years later he rejoined DAP.
I'll leave his daughter's article for your perusal, as follows:
Mekong Review:
[May 2018]
Malaysia’s morning breaks
[May 2018]
Malaysia’s morning breaks
by Pauline Fan
Pauline Fan with her father, Fan Yew Teng. Photo: Supplied
If politics is ‘the art of the possible’, Malaysia’s 14th General Election has reignited a call for a politics of hope, what Václav Havel — dissident playwright turned President of the Czech Republic — beautifully termed ‘the art of the impossible’.
In the two weeks since GE14, the impossible has become reality. Malaysians have witnessed changes we never imagined we would see in our lifetime – the fall of the ‘invincible’ Barisan Nasional, Mahathir Mohamad’s return as prime minister, the release and royal pardon of Anwar Ibrahim, former political prisoners sworn in as top cabinet ministers.
Like the Velvet Revolution of Czechoslovakia, Malaysia’s historic yet peaceful transition of power unseated a regime that ruled for decades and saw a people’s movement swept into government. Yet our ‘revolution’ was won quietly through the ballot box as much as through people power campaign rallies throughout the country. What impelled most Malaysians to bring down the old regime was the need to restore the rule of law and reform systems of governance plagued by corruption. In essence: a yearning to return to a Malaysia that could have been.
For many of us, ‘the Malaysia that could have been’ (and things in Malaysia that should never have happened) came to be embodied in the figures of Mahathir and Anwar. While celebrating the arrival of a ‘new dawn’, many of us were simultaneously thrown back in time, for the inextricably entangled destinies of these two men – allies, adversaries, allies once more – has shaped the collective and personal memory of Malaysians for the past 20 years.
For me, the return of Mahathir, the release of Anwar, and the reconciliation between them evoked memories of my late father, the firebrand opposition leader and two-term DAP parliamentarian, Fan Yew Teng. During the political developments of the past few months and particularly the past few weeks, I often wondered what ‘Papa’ would have made of it all. Would ‘Papa’ have embraced the transformed Mahathir – the man he spent much of his life criticising – as the leader of Pakatan Harapan, and now, again, as the prime minister of Malaysia?
In 1999, my father wrote Anwar Saga: Malaysia on Trial, a book that chronicled the unfolding of the Mahathir-Anwar grand political drama and the beginnings of the Reformasi movement. Like his previous books – If We Love This Country (1988), Oppressors and Apologists (1988), The UMNO Drama: Power Struggles in Malaysia (1989), and The Rape of Law (1990) – Anwar Saga sought to expose the grave injustices of Malaysia’s political system under Mahathir. It was difficult to publish such ‘anti-government’ books then, so ‘Papa’ set up a small press called Egret Publications, which was mostly funded by my mother.
After my father passed away in 2010, Anwar Ibrahim recalled in a tribute to him: “There had been two converging moments in our lives. The first was when he was convicted of sedition in 1975 and I, though not charged, was condemned to incarceration in Kamunting under the ISA. When I was thrown back into jail in 1998, he published Anwar Saga: Malaysia on Trial soon after. Here was someone who had been a victim of oppression and injustice too, not just some armchair commentator. I had to get hold of that book … So, with a little help from my friends, I had it secreted to my cell and devoured it from cover to cover.”
If politics is ‘the art of the possible’, Malaysia’s 14th General Election has reignited a call for a politics of hope, what Václav Havel — dissident playwright turned President of the Czech Republic — beautifully termed ‘the art of the impossible’.
In the two weeks since GE14, the impossible has become reality. Malaysians have witnessed changes we never imagined we would see in our lifetime – the fall of the ‘invincible’ Barisan Nasional, Mahathir Mohamad’s return as prime minister, the release and royal pardon of Anwar Ibrahim, former political prisoners sworn in as top cabinet ministers.
Like the Velvet Revolution of Czechoslovakia, Malaysia’s historic yet peaceful transition of power unseated a regime that ruled for decades and saw a people’s movement swept into government. Yet our ‘revolution’ was won quietly through the ballot box as much as through people power campaign rallies throughout the country. What impelled most Malaysians to bring down the old regime was the need to restore the rule of law and reform systems of governance plagued by corruption. In essence: a yearning to return to a Malaysia that could have been.
For many of us, ‘the Malaysia that could have been’ (and things in Malaysia that should never have happened) came to be embodied in the figures of Mahathir and Anwar. While celebrating the arrival of a ‘new dawn’, many of us were simultaneously thrown back in time, for the inextricably entangled destinies of these two men – allies, adversaries, allies once more – has shaped the collective and personal memory of Malaysians for the past 20 years.
For me, the return of Mahathir, the release of Anwar, and the reconciliation between them evoked memories of my late father, the firebrand opposition leader and two-term DAP parliamentarian, Fan Yew Teng. During the political developments of the past few months and particularly the past few weeks, I often wondered what ‘Papa’ would have made of it all. Would ‘Papa’ have embraced the transformed Mahathir – the man he spent much of his life criticising – as the leader of Pakatan Harapan, and now, again, as the prime minister of Malaysia?
In 1999, my father wrote Anwar Saga: Malaysia on Trial, a book that chronicled the unfolding of the Mahathir-Anwar grand political drama and the beginnings of the Reformasi movement. Like his previous books – If We Love This Country (1988), Oppressors and Apologists (1988), The UMNO Drama: Power Struggles in Malaysia (1989), and The Rape of Law (1990) – Anwar Saga sought to expose the grave injustices of Malaysia’s political system under Mahathir. It was difficult to publish such ‘anti-government’ books then, so ‘Papa’ set up a small press called Egret Publications, which was mostly funded by my mother.
After my father passed away in 2010, Anwar Ibrahim recalled in a tribute to him: “There had been two converging moments in our lives. The first was when he was convicted of sedition in 1975 and I, though not charged, was condemned to incarceration in Kamunting under the ISA. When I was thrown back into jail in 1998, he published Anwar Saga: Malaysia on Trial soon after. Here was someone who had been a victim of oppression and injustice too, not just some armchair commentator. I had to get hold of that book … So, with a little help from my friends, I had it secreted to my cell and devoured it from cover to cover.”
Fan Yew Teng during the General Election campaign, 1974. Photo: Supplied.
Anwar was right. ‘Papa’ spent his life fighting political repression because he himself had been subjected to it. In 1971, under Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, ‘Papa’ had been charged with sedition for publishing a speech as editor of DAP’s The Rocket. After a long drawn-out and infamous trial, he was eventually convicted of sedition in 1975 and disqualified from his second term in Parliament in 1977. After his years in formal politics, ‘Papa’ persisted as a vocal critic of Barisan Nasional’s excesses, scandals, and abuses of power. In particular, he was an acute observer of the power struggles within UMNO.
In a 2008 article for Harakah entitled ‘Can UMNO ever change?’, he wrote: “After more than 62 years of existence and more than half a century in power, UMNO has become a party of political pretenders and fakes, not of political protectors who were originally so much admired and needed by the Malays. UMNO’s idealism died when the spoils of office killed convictions and eroded the spirit of sacrifice. Soon enough, the unsaid and unwritten motivation was: ask not what I can do for the party; ask what the party can do for me.”
The article reveals my father’s long-standing conviction that UMNO had cast off its principles for selfish interests and sunk too deep in its own mire to ever redeem itself. I think he would initially have opposed Mahathir’s alliance with the very oppositionists he once put behind bars. Over time, however, I believe he would have seen Mahathir’s necessary role in dealing the deathblow to UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
As Malaysia’s new cabinet was sworn in a few days ago, I could not help but think of ‘Papa’ and his comrades. I felt the absent presence of the pioneers who are no longer with us – Karpal Singh, P. Patto, Tok Guru Nik Aziz and others, those who dared to fight for decades against the dark so that today we may forge a path of hope.
My father once wrote: “History has shown us repeatedly that no long night can last forever. Before long, morning must break.” On 10 May, as the long sleepless night of waiting for GE14 results turned into a day of euphoria for millions of Malaysians, I whispered: “Papa, your morning has arrived.”
Anwar was right. ‘Papa’ spent his life fighting political repression because he himself had been subjected to it. In 1971, under Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, ‘Papa’ had been charged with sedition for publishing a speech as editor of DAP’s The Rocket. After a long drawn-out and infamous trial, he was eventually convicted of sedition in 1975 and disqualified from his second term in Parliament in 1977. After his years in formal politics, ‘Papa’ persisted as a vocal critic of Barisan Nasional’s excesses, scandals, and abuses of power. In particular, he was an acute observer of the power struggles within UMNO.
In a 2008 article for Harakah entitled ‘Can UMNO ever change?’, he wrote: “After more than 62 years of existence and more than half a century in power, UMNO has become a party of political pretenders and fakes, not of political protectors who were originally so much admired and needed by the Malays. UMNO’s idealism died when the spoils of office killed convictions and eroded the spirit of sacrifice. Soon enough, the unsaid and unwritten motivation was: ask not what I can do for the party; ask what the party can do for me.”
The article reveals my father’s long-standing conviction that UMNO had cast off its principles for selfish interests and sunk too deep in its own mire to ever redeem itself. I think he would initially have opposed Mahathir’s alliance with the very oppositionists he once put behind bars. Over time, however, I believe he would have seen Mahathir’s necessary role in dealing the deathblow to UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
As Malaysia’s new cabinet was sworn in a few days ago, I could not help but think of ‘Papa’ and his comrades. I felt the absent presence of the pioneers who are no longer with us – Karpal Singh, P. Patto, Tok Guru Nik Aziz and others, those who dared to fight for decades against the dark so that today we may forge a path of hope.
My father once wrote: “History has shown us repeatedly that no long night can last forever. Before long, morning must break.” On 10 May, as the long sleepless night of waiting for GE14 results turned into a day of euphoria for millions of Malaysians, I whispered: “Papa, your morning has arrived.”
***
... and also one from Arutchelvan (PSM):
How I remember Fan Yew Teng
Fan Yew Teng was not from my generation. When I knew him, I knew him as a founder of Suaram. He was one of the original twelve directors of Suaram. I did not know much of his past history which I got to know a short time after that.
For the record, politically Fan was a giant of a politician. He was an unionist, he was an MP, he had been arrested and sacked and did all sorts of things. Perhaps the only badge he did not receive was being detained under the ISA.
As we all know today, Fan started in DAP and ended his political career in DAP. In between, he was linked and involved with a number of other parties like the SDP. He tried to form a political coalition and if I am not mistaken, he also did join PRM for a brief period until he went back to DAP. The last election he stood in was in 1999 under DAP. He lost.
Of course, Fan is always the reference point when one talks about the Sedition Act, as he was among the great people who have been arrested for sedition. He stood in a line with the likes of Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela to name a few. Malaysia has used the Sedition Act much more frequently compared to other countries and each time a case comes up, Fan’s case will be cited as the authority.
In Suaram, we used to call him Uncle Fan. He was indeed fun, and very witty as well. He will come carrying a slingbag made of cloth, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, normally sweating because he might have walked a distance or had just been speaking non-stop on an issue.
It is always fun and exciting to hear his speeches during talks and press conferences. He will normally carry a book with him and refer to famous sayings from Malcolm X , King and Gandhi. He was always loud and spoke strongly on the subject. Being an ex-teacher, he has a tendency to slowly explain things or phrases from a book. His words were strong and his voice loud.
He was also good at finding analogies or finding short forms or abbreviations. For example, when the human rights commission Suhakam was formed, he called it Sham – for Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Malaysia.
I also remember during the tribunal against the police tribunal episode in 1996, when the then-inspector general of police Abdul Rahim Nor called the organisers of the police tribunal communist and Marxists and threatened to arrest the organizers under the ISA, if they carried on.
A number of groups backed out, including the Bar Council and the Centre for Peace Initiative (Cenpeace), who denied that they were part of the coalition. At this point, Fan Yew Teng stepped in and became the de facto spokesperson of the coalition and even resigned from Cenpeace.
Fan became a peace advocate when he raised many international issues. He raised the issues of Burma. Sri Lanka, East Timor. Punjab and Aceh and many more. He broke down race barriers.
I remember during issues concerning Muslims, there would often be just one sole Chinese male at the events. That man was Fan. During the issues relating to Sri Lanka, you again would often see Fan as the sole Chinese man in the events during that time. So Fan was there irrespective of race or religion. For him, human rights and the dignity of humanity cut across race and religion.
Another interesting thing is we use to joke about was Fan and his typewriting. When everyone was using computers, Fan still used the typewriter. He claimed that it was faster, more efficient and made fewer errors. One wonders how?
But because he produced at least one article every few days, it seemed hard to argue with him on this. So at times, we had to retype his work on computers so that we could send it out.
Fan was principled till the end. I remember he joined Amnesty International, but I did not know where Fan went after that. I heard he was writing a book. It is not clear if he has finished writing it.
It is sad that he succumbed to cancer. I did not know his whereabouts in the last few years. Fan is like that. At times , he just disappears and then he will reappear – and each time he reappears, we would say, “Fan has not changed”. Same principles, same strong convictions and same spirit.
Fan will not reappear any more in person. But we will always remember Fan – whom we knew as Uncle Fan.
I met Fan Yew Teng in person before....that was in the 1990's when the Opposition was out in the wilderness, yet he stuck to the fight.
ReplyDeleteStill fondly remembered by Opposition supporters from that time.
Unlike Lee Lam Thye who turned "BN friendly" and Kua Kia Soong who is preoccupied with Hentam-ing DAP at every juncture..