Strong protest against  second police arrest and second sedition charge over my head and call  on Norian Mai to issue a clear directive to all police officers in the country to stop harassing the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign


Media Statement 
by Lim Kit Siang

(Petaling Jaya, Sunday)I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms against my second police arrest and second sedition charge hanging over my head over the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign. 

This morning, at about 9.15 a.m., the Port Dickson police arrested me and another five DAP Negri Sembilan state/branch leaders under the Sedition Act 1948  at the  launching the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign at the Port Dickson wet market to  distribute the  campaign pamphlet urging Malaysians to use their democratic and constitutional right to defend and uphold the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the “social contract” and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state. 

The other five arrested are Gunasekaran a/l Palasamy, DAP Central Executive Committee member and DAP Negri Sembilan State  Deputy Chairman, Wong Hon Chuan, state assistant secretary, John Fernandez  state assistant publicity secretary,   Arumugam a/l Karuppan state director of political bureau and Yew Koang Soo, Vice Chairman Lukut DAP Branch.          

I was only informed that the arrests were made under Section 4(i)© of the Sedition Act 1948 for the offence of  distributing a seditious publication, which is liable to maximum sentence of three years jail, RM5,000 fine or both, well after we were brought to the police station from the wet market – another deplorable case of arrest first and look for the offence later. 

Following our arrests, police statements were recorded from all the six of us, where I told the police investigation officer that these were  false and unlawful arrests, constituting a serious abuse of police powers. 

All six of us were released without having to post bail, but we could be charged and prosecuted any itme  under the Sedition Act following our arrest, pending instructions from the police higher-ups. 

Although the six of us were subsequently released without having to post bail, this will be my second police arrest in connection with the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign and the second sedition charge to hang over my head over the distribution of the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign pamphlet. 

My first police arrest over the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign was in Ipoh on June 5, where I was released on RM3,000 bail and required to report to the police to July 5.  When I returned to the Ipoh Police District Headquarters a month later, the RM3,000 police bail was cancelled but I was informed that I could be arrested and prosecuted any time pending the instructions from Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur.  

Now, I am having the serious charge of sedition hanging over my head the second time, where I had been arrested but released without having to post police bond, but allowing  the police the second opportunity to charge me for sedition in connection with the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign. 

A police officer had told me in Johore Bahru on Monday when I was in the Johore state capital to launch the campaign  that the “No to 929” pamphlet was seditious and that it could not be distributed to the public, although there was no follow-up police action when the DAP “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign proceeded  as scheduled in Taman Johor Jaya in Johore Bahru later the same night. 

I do not know whether this was because of the two pending Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections in Kedah at the time, and whether the police arrests in Port Dickson this morning was the result of  the Barisan Nasional victory in one of the two Kedah by-elections last Thursday. If so, then it is fortunate that the Barisan Nasional did not win both the by-elections or there  would be even more intolerable abuse of power and violation of the constitutional and democratic rights of Malaysian citizens. 

The Attorney-General, Datuk Gani Patail should decide without any delay whether it is a sedition offence to say “No” to any attempt to change the 44-year 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the “social contract” and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Islam is the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic State – such as the “929 Declaration” by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at the Gerakan national conference on September 29 last year that Malaysia is an Islamic state. 

If it is a sedition offence to uphold and defend the principle that Islam is the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state, then the 1957 Merdeka Constitution is a “seditious” Constitution, and the first three Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn had all committed sedition as they had at one time or another publicly proclaimed this fundamental constitutional principle in Malaysia. 

In fact, in February 1983, Tunku Abdul Rahman made a strong and powerful call that Malaysia should not be turned into an Islamic state – which is the subject of a “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” Campaign poster. 

As I had not been charged for sedition after my Ipoh arrest in June, I call on the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri  Norian Mai to issue a clear directive to all police officers in the country to stop harassing the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign and to respect the democratic and constitutional rights of Malaysians to carry out their  legitimate political activities. 

DAP will not allow these false and unlawful police arrests under the Sedition Act to deter us from continuing our “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign, which is a patriotic and nationalist campaign to defend the integrity of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution – a campaign not against any race or religion but for the rights of all races and religions as entrenched in the Constitution. 

 DAP Negri Sembilan will launch the campaign in Seremban tomorrow morning, and I will be launching the campaign in Kampar and Segamat tomorrow, Batu Pahat and  Taman Tun Aminah (Johore Bahru) on Tuesday and Taman Sentosa (Johore Bahru) on Wednesday.

(21/7/2002)


*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman