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Perkasa masih bermain dengan api perkauman dan agama

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 08, 2012

8 APRIL — Seruan pemuda Perkasa supaya orang Islam tidak bersama didalam rally Bersih 3.0 yang akan diadakan pada 28 April nanti menjelaskan lagi betapa jumudnya pandangan Ketua Wira Perkasa itu.

Semasa rakyat berbilang kaum sedang bertungkus lumus mencari penyelesaian terhadap penyelewengan dan pencemaran demokrasi ini ada pula pihak yang hendak menyelitkan kepentingan sempit pertubuhan itu dan berniat untuk menggagalkan usaha dan niat rakyat untuk memperbetulkan kepincangan yang dilakukan oleh institusi demokrasi negara ini.

Kenapa pula orang Islam tidak boleh menyertai rally tersebut. Apa yang “un-Islamic” nya rally itu sehinggakan orang Islam diseru untuk tidak menyertai rally yang berkepentingan untuk demokrasi dinegara ini? Saya tidak mahu berbahas tentang agama kerana saya tidak berpengetahuan agama yang lengkap. Tetapi apa yang saya fahami Islam memang menuntut umatnya untuk menolak kemungkaran politik dan ekonomi dan memperjuangkan kebenaran. Continue reading “Perkasa masih bermain dengan api perkauman dan agama”

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Malaysia’s political reform: Academic freedom

— Ahmad Iskandar
The Malaysian Insider
Mar 21, 2012

MARCH 21 — Towards the end of 2011, several incidents unfolded bringing the issue of academic freedom to the fore of Malaysia’s public discourse. Among them were the demonstrations held to oppose University and University College Act (UUCA 1975), one in PWTC and another in UPSI. Adam Adli and Safwan Anang, emerged as voices to champion the cause. However, we will not discuss demonstrations here, but we will explore briefly the main issue underlying the demonstrations, which is academic freedom. Systematically, we will look into its definition, the examples of the lack of freedom, the solutions and their implications.

Borrowing from The Lima Declaration on Academic Freedom and Autonomy of Institutions of Higher Education, academic freedom is defined as “the freedom of members of the academic community individually or collectively, in the pursuit, development and transmission of knowledge, through research, study, discussion, documentation, production, creation, teaching, lecturing and writing.” To ascertain whether academic freedom was observed or not, we will use four categories of relationship– academic freedom between government and institutions, administrators and academics, among peers and finally by external factors. By looking at these four categories, we can conclude that academic freedom is rarely observed in Malaysia.

Generally, there are two clear factors that show the absence of academic freedom in local universities. Continue reading “Malaysia’s political reform: Academic freedom”

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Revoking aid to disabled is ‘illegal’

Joseph Tawie | March 6, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

An assistant minister’s order to revoke aid to a disabled man in Sarawak because he supports the opposition contravenes the federal constitution.

KUCHING: A minister in Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s cabinet may have landed himself in hot soup after it was revealed that he had instructed two departments to revoke government extended subsidiaries and welfare aid to a disabled man who had supported an opposition candidate.

Sarawak DAP, which lodged a police report against Assistant Minister of Agriculture (Research and Marketing) Mong Dagang last Friday, said the minister has contravened the law.

Mong had allegedly directed, through a letter, the Assistant Director of Agriculture in Sri Aman to cease all forms of subsidies to Frusis Lebi.

Party secretary Chong Chieng Jen said DAP want the police to investigate Mong for his ‘heinous crime’. Continue reading “Revoking aid to disabled is ‘illegal’”

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Freedom works both ways, Faekah

— Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 24, 2012

JAN 24 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) promotes equality for all, regardless of religion or race, and stronger civil liberties as the bedrock for a more modern, progressive Malaysia.

The pact says all basic rights enshrined in the Constitution will be upheld when it takes power, rights that Barisan Nasional (BN) has denied to the people on more than one occasion.

Among the fundamental rights that PR trumpets whenever it wishes to rally its supporters is the freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of movement.

But if the opposition believes in these freedoms, why is it we still see people like Faekah Husin, political secretary to Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, proposing that the outspoken Datuk Ibrahim Ali be banned from the state for being a nuisance? Continue reading “Freedom works both ways, Faekah”

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Malaysia ‘falls far short’ on rights vows

AFP/Herald Sun
January 22, 2012

MALAYSIA has fallen “far short” of upholding its pledges to allow civil liberties ahead of elections widely expected to be held soon, Human Rights Watch says.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has promised to grant greater civil rights by revising or abolishing several security laws, including the Internal Security Act which allows for detention without trial of those deemed security threats.

But activists and opposition leaders have dismissed his vows as ploys to regain at fresh polls expected this year votes lost in the last general election, where Najib’s Barisan Nasional had its most narrow ever win.

Human Rights Watch said on Sunday in its annual world report that the South-East Asian nation had last year “arbitrarily” detained critics, broken up a peaceful march for electoral reforms and replaced restrictions on free assembly “with even more draconian controls”.

“Malaysia’s leaders are fooling themselves by thinking they can backtrack on public promises to respect the rights to demonstrate peacefully and criticise the government without fear,” the group’s deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson, said in a release. Continue reading “Malaysia ‘falls far short’ on rights vows”

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A silent gathering?

— Othman Wahab
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 07, 2012

JAN 7 — Oh no, not again. In the run-up to Bersih 2.0, the Najib administration agreed to allow the demonstrators to use a stadium and then withdrew the offer after being worried that calls for free elections could lead to the overthrow of the BN government.

After Prime Minister Najib Razak realised that his handling had been an unmitigated disaster, the government gave half-hearted and lame excuses about how its offer of the Shah Alam Stadium was not accepted by Bersih 2.0 organisers.

The BN government looked weak and devoid of courage. It appeared yesterday morning that the lesson of Bersih 2.0 had been learnt when the police agreed to allow the opposition to gather near the High Court in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur on January 9 to show solidarity with Anwar Ibrahim who is facing jail time for a sodomy charge.

Fantastic, I thought, finally the government and its agents showing maturity instead of behaving fearfully in the face of legitimate democratic expression. Continue reading “A silent gathering?”

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Human Rights Day 2011

Message from Aliran
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 10, 2011

DEC 10 — This year has been a memorable year for Malaysians in our struggle for democracy and recognition of human rights in our country.

The July 9 rally for clean, free and fair elections was an event all generations of Malaysians will cherish in history. It was the day ordinary Malaysians showed courage and grit in opposing violence and repression by sections of riot police armed with tear-gas and water cannon.

Besides the brave leaders of the Bersih 2.0 movement led by former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan and leaders of Pakatan Rakyat and civil society groups who came out in support of the movement, ordinary Malaysians including elderly, disabled persons and youth braved tear gas and water cannon to demand that elections be clean, free and fair.

The run-up to the July 9 rally was equally dramatic and tortuous with the unjustified arrests of Parti Sosialis Malaysia activists. The PSM 30 were initially accused of waging war against the King for no apparent reason. Six of them, all key members including Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, were later detained under the Emergency Ordinance. It was perhaps too much for reasonable and fair-minded members of the public to swallow. Thankfully, the EO 6 are now free and all charges have been dropped against the PSM 30. Continue reading “Human Rights Day 2011”

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200 brave water sprinklers to protest Assembly Bill

Nigel Aw | Dec 3, 2011
Malaysiakini

Despite what appeared to be attempts by the KLCC management to cause inconveniences, some 200 people converged at its park off Jalan Ampang in a carnival-like gathering to oppose the Peaceful Assembly Bill.

Instead of being met by police batons and water cannons on its second Saturday afternoon protest, the group of about 200, clad in yellow, were met with water sprinklers.

The group moved close to some trees in the park after the KLCC management, again, cordoned off its compound for a cleaning operation, including the area the protesters used last week.

There, they stood around national laureate A Samad Said, who is popularly known as Pak Samad, as he recited his poems. Then, the complex management turned on water sprinklers on the ground where they stood.

Undaunted, those who were caught in the sprays shielded themselves with umbrellas and continued to listen to Pak Samad, who recited his latest poem in tribute to the occupy movement, Merindu Ruang (Missing Space) after reciting his Bersih poem, ‘Unggun Bersih’. Continue reading “200 brave water sprinklers to protest Assembly Bill”

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An Assembly Tale

by Azmi Sharom
Wednesday, 30 November 2011

The scene is a small terrace house, somewhere in Kelana Jaya. Ten year old Mary and her younger brother Timothy approach their father who is sitting in the living room flossing his teeth after a large meal.

“Papa, Timmy and I would like to tell you something”

“Oh, really, both of you want to gather together and say something?”

“Yes, we think it is a very important issue and we would like to express ourselves to the whole family”.

“I see, so you want to assemble peacefully. You are not going to get violent are you?”

“Of course not Papa!” Continue reading “An Assembly Tale”

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Why the rush?

by Hafiz Noor Shams
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 02, 2011

DEC 2 — I had listened to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Malaysia Day address with scepticism. Part of the scepticism came after noticing all the qualifications made by the prime minister in the same speech. The so-called Political Transformation Programme does not look so bold if one reads the fine print.

As we have learned in recent days, the actual reform does not meet the high expectations set by the prime minister himself. The manner at which the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 was rushed through did little to alleviate the scepticism.

In these days of scepticism, only actions command confidence. The nearly six years of the Abdullah administration justifies that attitude. The bravado of Parti Keadilan Rakyat only adds to the justification of scepticism. Indeed, political scepticism against all sides is a sign of maturity of ordinary voters.

While the scent of scepticism was strong, not all shared it. Not all ordinary voters are seasoned political observers after all. Continue reading “Why the rush?”

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Limit the parliamentary majority

— Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 29, 2011

NOV 29 — In a democracy it comes down to numbers. Barisan Nasional has more numbers in Parliament and is able to push through legislation, even when it is self-serving and meant for regime preservation.

This afternoon the Peaceful Assembly Bill was passed in Parliament by BN members and the frogs (calling them independent would be a disservice to independents the world over). Pakatan Rakyat MPs walked out because they wanted the Bill to be withdrawn and redrawn.

But that was never going to happen. As it is the Najib government was forced to eat humble pie and amend the Bill after it was pointed out that the legislation was even more regressive than Myanmar’s new laws on protests.

There is no use wailing or crying foul. BN has the numbers and we gave them the numbers in 2008. So it is perfectly legitimate for them to rubber stamp any legislation they want, except any change in law which requires two-thirds of Parliament’s support.

It is not the end of the world. We can always take back the numbers we gave them in 2008 and make sure that the next government repeals the Peaceful Assembly Act. Continue reading “Limit the parliamentary majority”

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Pakatan walks out, will not vote on Assembly Bill

Malaysiakini
Nov 29, 2011

Pakatan Rakyat MPs walked out of the Dewan Rakyat during the debate on the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 and will not participate in voting on the Bill.

The MPs said that they were disgusted that the speaker had only allowed three Pakatan Rakyat MPs – one from each party – to debate what they consider to be a very important piece of legislation.

The three who were allowed to speak were Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim (Permatang Pauh-PKR), Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-DAP) and Abdul Hadi Awang (Marang-PAS). Continue reading “Pakatan walks out, will not vote on Assembly Bill”

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Najib’s “clarification” is proof that PAB is the worst and most slipshod bill in 54-year parliamentary history

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s last-minute clarification today of the Peaceful Assembly Bill (PAB) is testimony that the PAB is the worst and most slipshod bill ever drafted in the 54-year history of Malaysian Parliament as well as raising questions about Najib’s bona fides in political reforms and transformation.

Najib blamed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for “confusing” the public with regard to the 30-day notification requirement.

He said:

“Actually the wording is within 30 days, it can be within five or 10 days but that word led to so much confusion so we decided that 10 days to be specific, so that there will be no doubts.” (The Malaysian Insider)

Najib said the previous 30 days’ notification did not mean a month’s notice was needed.

Najib’s ”clarification” is utterly ridiculous. In fact, Najib is presenting a sorry public spectacle of a Prime Minister who does not know what he is talking about, and even worse does not understand the content of the Bill he introduced in Parliament on Thursday though he described it as “revolutionary”. Continue reading “Najib’s “clarification” is proof that PAB is the worst and most slipshod bill in 54-year parliamentary history”

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Najib forewarned he is heading for another political disaster if rejects proposal for a PSC and forces PAB through all readings in Dewan Rakyat tomorrow

The Police Royal Commission Report 2005 listed the complaints against bias, unreasonableness and discrimination in the exercise of police powers under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967 which vests police with the power to regulate assemblies, meetings and processions through the granting of a permit, including the following:

*Permits granted to opposition political parties or NGOs perceived to be critical of the government or aligned with opposition parties always have a number of conditions which are considered ridiculous and difficult to implement and tantamount to an indirect refusal of permission.

*There are complaints that the police do not seem to be neutral and impartial in the granting of permits, as would appear to be the case from their alleged numerous refusals of permits to opposition political parties and organisations perceived to be linked to them. There were also allegations that those attending the events were arrested and questioned as to why they did so and why they expressed opposition towards the government.

*According to some complaints, a peaceful demonstration that turned into rioting was not caused by the action of demonstrators but on the provocation of the police.

There is nothing to demonstrate that in the six years after the publication of the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission Report and its 125 recommendations, the Malaysian Police has won public confidence as it has transformed itself into an independent, incorruptible and professional police force, discarding the outmoded colonial police concept of “regime protection” and replacing it with the modern principles and concept of “democratic policing”. Continue reading “Najib forewarned he is heading for another political disaster if rejects proposal for a PSC and forces PAB through all readings in Dewan Rakyat tomorrow”

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Peaceful Assembly Bill – Najib has probably created world history in the speed with which a “revolutionary” bill becomes reactionary within 24 hrs as to require at least eight amendments

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has probably created world history in the speed with which a Bill which he described as “revolutionary” became reactionary within 24 hours as to require at least eight amendments.

On Thursday, Najib told Parliament that the Peaceful Assembly Bill was “revolutionary” and “a giant leap” in the political transformation of Malaysia. But in less than 24 hours, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was directed by the Prime Minister at Friday’s Cabinet meeting to review and amend the “revolutionary” Bill!

This is the latest proof of the haphazard, insincere and irresponsible manner in which Najib is trying to implement his “political transformation” programme – totally at variance with his pledge that under his premiership, the era of “government knows best” is over and that he would fully consult with all relevant stakeholders and the civil society on major reform measures for the country.

The amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Bill, primarily on and consequential to the reduction of the requirement of 30 days to 10 days for notification to the police for any assembly, are not acceptable to give approval to the Bill as they are not wide-ranging enough as there are also other provisions in the bill which strike at the constitutional rights to freedom of assembly. Continue reading “Peaceful Assembly Bill – Najib has probably created world history in the speed with which a “revolutionary” bill becomes reactionary within 24 hrs as to require at least eight amendments”

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Peaceful Assembly flip-flop

— Othman Wahab
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 26, 2011

NOV 26 — Saifuddin Abdullah, the deputy minister, I am sure is a nice enough man and by his public statements, seems to have a level head.

But he is clearly mistaken if he thinks we are going to swallow his ridiculous defence of the Najib government inept attempt to pull wool over our eyes with its Peaceful Assembly Act.

Even more disappointing is his defence of the prime minister, saying that the man’s thoughts were not manifested in the Act which was tabled with much fanfare by no one else than the PM himself. Continue reading “Peaceful Assembly flip-flop”

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Peaceful Assembly Bill a test case whether Najib’s pledge on becoming Prime Minister that “the era of government knows best is over” is serious commitment or just hocus pocus, bunkum and baloney

The Peaceful Assembly Bill is a test case whether the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s pledge on becoming Prime Minister in April 2009 that “the era of government knows best is over”, setting the stage for a government that responds to the people’s views and concerns, or it was just hocus pocus, bunkum and baloney with the Prime Minister not meaning what he said and not prepared to “walk the talk” right from the start of his premiership.

If Najib is serious that under his administration, the era of “government knows best” is over, then he should not find any difficultly in postponing further second reading of the Peaceful Assembly Bill and refer it to a Parliamentary Select Committee to have fullest and meaningful public consultation to ensure that the new Peaceful Assembly Act is not more repressive than the regime created by Section 27 of the Police Act by bringing about an environment where all Malaysians, particularly the civil society, human right activists and the political opposition, feel more liberated instead of being more suppressed under the new legislative proposals.

The only people who are happy with the Peaceful Assembly Bill are the Police and the Home Minister, who have been armed with arbitrary powers to impose restrictive and onerous conditions reducing the constitutional rights of Malaysians to freedom of assembly an empty one.
Continue reading “Peaceful Assembly Bill a test case whether Najib’s pledge on becoming Prime Minister that “the era of government knows best is over” is serious commitment or just hocus pocus, bunkum and baloney”

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The hands behind Malaysia’s false spring

By Dr Lim Teck Ghee | 25 November 2011

To most of the country’s independent political observers, it is very clear now. With the unveiling of the new proposed law restricting our right to peaceful assembly and protest, the Malaysian public has been taken for a ride on the promise of political liberalization and reform made by the Prime Minister on the eve of Malaysia Day this year.

What is the explanation for the apparent turnaround in Najib Razak’s initial plan unveiled on 15 September this year to abandon earlier draconian and repressive legislation and to improve our civil liberties?

Is it that there was really no enlightened plan but in fact a calculated and cynical move aimed at strangling the right to peaceful assembly – a potential game changer in the country’s political dynamics – whilst holding out crumbs of comfort that the government is being sincere about political liberalization on less important fronts?
Continue reading “The hands behind Malaysia’s false spring”

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Najib at loss for words about new Myanmar Protest Bill which requires only 5 days’ notice when he describes his own Peaceful Assembly Bill as “revolutionary” but which requires 30 days’ notice

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak must be at a loss for words to describe the new Myanmar Protest Bill requiring its citizens to give five days’ notice to the authorities to protest peacefully when he can claim that his own Peaceful Assembly Bill is “revolutionary” but which requires 30 days notice.

Myanmar has always been regarded as the worst laggard country in ASEAN in its utter disregard and contempt for human rights and it must be very mortifying and shameful for the Malaysian government, parliamentarians and people that we now have to learn from Myanmar on how to respect human rights and fundamental constitutional liberties of our people, at least on freedom of assembly!

Does Najib want to send the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hashim to Myanmar to learn to be more respectful of the fundamental liberties at least with regard to freedom of assembly for the respective citizenry?

This is one powerful reason why the Peaceful Assembly Bill which Najib presented for second reading yesterday should be withdrawn or all Malaysian MPs would not be able to hold their heads high whether in regional or international conferences when the Myanmar Parliament could pass a bill on freedom of assembly requiring only five days’ notice to the authorities while the Malaysian government is demanding 30 days’ notice.

I thought the day will never come for me to say this – the Malaysian Prime Minister and Cabinet should learn from Myanmar at least on freedom of peaceful protest and assembly. Continue reading “Najib at loss for words about new Myanmar Protest Bill which requires only 5 days’ notice when he describes his own Peaceful Assembly Bill as “revolutionary” but which requires 30 days’ notice”

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I have been waiting for the revocation of the three Emergency Proclamations for the past 30 to 40 years

I stand to support the motion by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to revoke the Emergency Proclamations of 1966, 1969 and 1977.

I have been waiting for the revocation for the past 30 to 40 years.

The Barisan Nasional MP for Tangga Batu Datuk Idris Haron who just spoke misled the House when he said that Barisan Nasional stands for consistency.

This is because the byword of Barisan Nasional and UMNO is not consistency, but inconsistency and hypocrisy, particularly on the issue before the House – the revocation of the Emergency Proclamations of 1966, 1969 and 1977.

On 28th and 29th June, 1979, my motion to repeal the four Proclamations of Emergency of 1964 (concerning the Indonesian Confrontation), 1966 (Sarawak political crisis), 1969 (May 13 Riots) and 1977 (Kelantan political crisis) was debated in Parliament for two days but all the Barisan Nasional MPs spoke and voted against it.

But today, all the Barisan and UMNO MPs are supporting the revocation of the Emergency Proclamations.

Who is being inconsistent? Continue reading “I have been waiting for the revocation of the three Emergency Proclamations for the past 30 to 40 years”