Call on Suhakam to send commissioners to Seremban tomorrow to observe the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign to ensure  that the police do not continue to take the law into their own hands, criminalize legitimate constitutional political activities and violate human rights

(Penang, Saturday): Last Sunday, the Seremban district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Abdul Khalid Abu Hassan  warned that DAP leaders and supporters who distribute the  "No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957”  leaflets  to the public  “risk facing action”  as they could be charged under the Sedition Act 1948. (New Straits Times 23.7.02) 

Abdul Khalid’s threat is  most deplorable and the worst  example of police officers taking the law into their own hands to criminalise legitimate  constitutional political activities in the country.    

It has also made a mockery of  the recent efforts by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi to organize  the Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Islam (Kalif 2002) to show the world that the Malaysian government's concept of Islam is compatible with democracy and human rights.  

The "No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957"  campaign is a patriotic and nationalistic campaign to defend and uphold the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the "social contract" and 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a democratic, secular, multi-religious, tolerant and progressive nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state - whether ala-UMNO or ala-PAS.  

If the "No to 929" campaign is seditious, then the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement are seditious documents. Furthermore, the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn would have committed sedition offences as well as they had at one time or another proclaimed that Malaysia is a secular nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state.  

In fact, on 8^th February 1983, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Tunku issued the clear public message that plural Malaysia should not be turned into an Islamic State.  

I have here the newspaper cuttings of that occasion more than 20 years ago. This is the report from “The Star” of February 9, 1983, under its overall coverage of “The Tunku Turns 80”,  with the headline: “Don’t Make Malaysia An Islamic State: Tunku”, which states:  

“Kuala Lumpur, Thurs – Malaysia should never be turned  into an Islamic State, former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman said tonight.  

“He said that Malaysia was set up as a secular State with Islam as the official religion and this was enshrined in the Constitution.  

“’The Constitution must be respected and adhered to.  There have been attempts by some people who tried to introduce religious laws and morality laws. This cannot be allowed.  

“’The country has a multi-racial population with various beliefs.  Malaysia must continue as a secular State with Islam as the official religion,’ he advised UMNO.  

“The Tunku was speaking at a birthday party hosted by the Barisan Nasional at Wisma MCA here.  

“He had also some pointed advice for the other two major communities in the country.  

“To the Chinese, represented by the MCA, he said: ‘Don’t lap up all the business opportunities. Share them.’  

“In a lighter vein, he told the MIC and the Indians: ‘Talk less, work harder and co-operate more closely with the other races and other component parties of the Barisan.’  

“The Tunku stressed that racial unity and close co-operation among the races was the only way for Malaysia to survive, let alone progress.”  

Tunku’s call that Malaysia should not be turned into an Islamic State was at the time fully supported by  all the Barisan Nasional component parties, including UMNO, MCA, MIC and Gerakan.  

The DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957”  People’s Awareness Campaign is therefore fully in the spirit of the legacy  of  Tunku Abdul Rahman as expressed in his speech on the occasion of his 80^th birthday at the grand dinner hosted by Barisasn Nasional  on February 8, 1983. 

I hope police officers like the Seremban district chief,  Abdul Khalid  is not suggesting that Bapa Malaysia and the first Prime Minister of Malaysia had committed an offence under the Sedition Act 1948 when he publicly urged in the presence of all the Barisan Nasional leaders on his 80^th birthday not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State. 

Similarly, how could the DAP”s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” campaign, which is making the same call as the Tunku on his 80^th birthday, be seditious under the Sedition Act 1948?  

DAP is fully committed to the rule of law and eschews all forms of illegal and unconstitutional practices, which is proven by the DAP’s 36 years of political record, but we will not condone the unconstitutional acts of the police in criminalizing legitimate political activities enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution.

For this reason, DAP leaders, including the DAP Federal Territory MPs  Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong), Tan Kok Wai (Cheras), Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang) and Teresa Kok (Seputeh) and myself, will visit the Seremban market tomorrow morning to distribute the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” campaign pamphlet in discharge of our legitimate constitutional political activities. 

I do not want to be arrested a third time over the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957”  campaign, but no political leader worth his salt can allow any police officer to take the law into his own hands to criminalize legitimate constitutional political activities, just because it is carried out by the Opposition.  

I call on Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, to send commissioners to the Seremban Central Market  tomorrow to observe the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign to ensure  that the police do not continue to take the law into their own hands and criminalize legitimate constitutional political activities – which constitutes grave human rights violations which come directly under the Suhakam’s jurisdiction to protect and promote human rights.

(27/7/2002)