Malaysia used to be a male-dominated society which did not have any time at all for women and children. Women were to be abused, taken for granted. In the old days, there was no talk of women's rights, but through the gradual process of politicization, women have been occupying higher and higher positions as a political force and they are able to assert themselves. Compared with ten years ago, there is much more publicity, consciousness, more sensitivity on questions of women's rights. Similarly with children.
People complain about self-censorship in the media.
But surely journalists are doing it to protect themselves. I have always blamed those who impose this upon themselves, voluntarily anyway. If you really believe in a cause, you must be prepared to die. The point is, I have always believed in freedom of the press, freedom of expression, independence of the judiciary - three essential ingredients needed to make a country really tick as a democracy and conform to the need for human rights. But freedom must be accompanied by responsibilities.