I come straight from Kuala Lumpur where this afternoon tens of thousands of Malaysians of all races participated peacefully in a mammoth gathering to demand the repeal of draconian laws, in particular the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA).
For the first time in 43 years in politics under six Prime Ministers from Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir, Tun Abdullah and Datuk Seri Najib Razak, I experienced first-hand today the indiscriminate police use of tear gas and its corrosive effects.
Is this an indication that the Najib premiership is going to be the most draconian of all Prime Ministers since Merdeka in 1957?
It was clear that the cause of breach of peace and public disorder in Kuala Lumpur today was not the peaceful tens of thousands of Malaysians who merely wanted to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Prime Minister that draconian laws like the ISA must be removed from the statute books, but the police who indiscriminately fired tear gas and chemically-laced water cannons at the peaceful masses, in utter disregard of human rights of Malaysians to freedom of speech, expression and assembly.
The police has announced that a total of 438 people had been arrested including 37 women and 38 juveniles.
This is a great shame to the police and the new Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as they had outdone the black chapter of the May 7 Day of Infamy in the Perak illegal power grab, where the legitimate Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar in Speaker’s robe and Speaker’s chair was physically dragged of the Perak State Assembly, with mass arrests of 64 people on that day.
They have even outdone the notorious Operation Lalang mass arrests in October 1957 when 107 people were detained under the crackdown.
But the P:olice want to do even more.
The Police have announced that they are looking for me and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders like Parliamentary Opposition Leader and PKR chief, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang.
Clearly, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan is wreaking his personal vengeance against me and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders as last week I had convened on behalf of Pakatan Rakyat a Parliamentary Roundtable which resolved, with the unanimous support of PR MPs and NGO representatives who attended, that Malaysia needs a new IGP to create a safe Malaysia and demanded that Musa Hassan should not be given a second renewal of term of service as IGP in September.
(Speech by DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Ipoh Timor Lim Kit Siang at DAP Kuantan DAP Branch dinner in Kuantan on Saturday, 1st August 2009)