Media Statement
by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Thursday): Utusan Malaysia’s front-page report today that the woman in the center of the controversy of police punishing her to do ear squats in the nude is believed not to be a Chinese national but a Malay woman is interesting after a racially charged and factually wrong editorial on 29 November 2005 that can only be described as anti-Chinese. In an editorial on the incident, “Don’t burden the Government” (JANGAN SUSAHKAN KERAJAAN) on 29 November 2005, Utusan Malaysia said:-

(English translation)– Verily, the country’s image in the eyes of Chinese tourists has been affected based on the 50% drop in arrivals recently. However, we should not be so readily “entrapped”. If the government wishes to apologise to the Chinese government do it in a diplomatic manner. But do not sacrifice our security laws and national sovereignty.

We should not go to extreme lengths to humour foreign tourists, especially from certain countries to the extent of increasing immigration officers from the Chinese community and making announcements in the KLIA in Mandarin. Are all this necessary in the name of humouring Chinese tourists?

Malaysia should not be entrapped and concede defeat to foreign tourists, particularly Chinese citizens which have caused apprehension following reports of 50,000 Chinese citizens entering the country going “missing”. Where they are and what work are they doing to live in our country? They are no longer tourists but illegal immigrants.

(Malay version)“Memang imej negara terjejas dari kaca mata pelancong China jika diambil kira kehadiran mereka merosot hampir 50 peratus sejak kebelakangan ini.

Pun begitu, kita tidak boleh dengan mudah `terperangkap'.

Jika kerajaan berasa perlu minta maaf kepada kerajaan China, lakukanlah dengan cara diplomasi. Tetapi jangan sekali-kali mengorbankan undang-undang keselamatan negara dan kedaulatan Malaysia.

Kita tidak perlu terlampau hendak menjaga hati pelancong asing terutama dari negara tertentu sehingga pegawai imigresen mahu ditambah daripada kalangan kaum Cina dan pengumuman maklumat di Lapangan Terbang Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) pun hendak dibuat dalam bahasa bangsa itu. Perlukah semua ini atas nama mahu menjaga hati pelancong China?

Malaysia tidak patut terperangkap dan mengalah dengan pelancong asing khususnya warga China yang cukup membimbangkan kita kini terutama laporan mengenai 50,000 rakyatnya masuk ke negara masih `menghilangkan' diri. Di mana mereka dan apa pekerjaan mereka untuk hidup di negara kita? Mereka ini bukan lagi pelancong tetapi berstatus pendatang asing tanpa izin (PATI).”

Utusan’s editorial is wrong, provocative and racial for three reasons. One, public demands for action against the police for carrying such punishment is not contrary to our security laws, because our security laws do not allow the use of torture, but to uphold our human rights laws which outlaw such abuse of human rights.

Two, it is not extreme to use Mandarin to broadcast flight details in KLIA or more Chinese Immigration officers when this is in line with government policy. In fact Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in reprimanding Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar reminded everyone of the government policy on tourism which really welcomed foreigners to visit, study, receive medical treatment or conduct business operations here. What is wrong with using Mandarin to broadcast to welcome Chinese tourists when Japanese and Arabic have been used in the past in KLIA.

To oppose the recruitment of Chinese Immigration officers goes against government policy of making the civil service more representative of Malaysia with all races represented. To make such comments is not only racist and irresponsible but also short-sighted as it will harm our national and economic interests.

Third, Utusan is factually wrong to only highlight that there are 50,000 “missing” Chinese nationals who have failed to return home and staying in the country. Such figures were mistakenly given by the Immigration Department.  Figures posted on the Immigration Department website at  http://www.imi.gov.my/ENG/Statistik/im_Statistik.asp show that nearly 21.4 million tourists from an average of 250 different nationalities had gone missing from 2000 to 2003 as follows:-

Something is very wrong when tourist of almost the population of Malaysia had gone missing for the 4 years between 2000 to 2003. Either the Immigration Department and the police have failed in their duty in checking the number of illegals or these figures are wrong. Worse is that there were more than 13.1 million Singaporeans who overstayed over the past 4 years with more than 3.8 million illegal Singaporean tourists in Malaysia in 2003 alone.

As Singapore as a population of only 4.4 million, for almost the entire population of Singapore to overstay illegally in Malaysia in one year alone is so ridiculous as to make the Immigration Department and international laughing stock. Similarly 79,801 Japanese who overstayed in 2003 or a total of 747,668 Japanese illegally overstaying in Malaysia over the past 4 years from 2000 to 2003. Is Malaysia so attractive that nearly 750,000 Japanese prefer to overstay than go back to Japan from 2000 to 2003.

DAP Would Continue To Pursue The Issue Of All Women Punished To Do Ear Squats In The Nude Even If They Are Malay As This Is Not A Racial Issue But Involving Violation Of Human Rights.

DAP questions why there is such a hue and cry over 50,000 Chinese nationals when there are many times more Japanese and Singaporeans who have gone “missing” in the wrong data provided by the Immigration Department. Why is there no national outcry in Utusan Malaysia over the 13.1 million missing Singaporeans or 750,000 missing Japanese from 2000 to 2003?

In its report today, Utusan said that the woman could be a 23 year old Malay woman caught in a drug raid by the Narcotics Department in a Petaling Jaya disco. DAP wishes to remind Utusan Malaysia that the race or religion of the victim is not an issue. What is an issue is the abuse of basic human rights by such form of punishment which serves to degrade and humiliate a person even before she is convicted of any wrongdoing.

Just like what the Americans did in Abu Ghraib the prisoners are meant to be “destroyed” by being stripped naked to take away their dignity, degrade them with shameful acts before the final humiliation of photographing and recording them in their naked state. DAP would continue to pursue the issue of all women punished to do ear squats in the nude even if they are Malay as this is not a racial issue but involving violation of human rights. After all DAP leaders have even gone to prison in defence of Malay rights.

Just like Datuk Noh Omar who was reprimanded by the Prime Minister and apologise for his racist remarks, DAP calls on Utusan Malaysia to apologise and retract extremist and irresponsible editorial on 29 November 2005 which will only stir up racial sentiments amongst the Malay community with wrong facts. If Utusan Malaysia is a responsible newspaper, it should be uniting all Malaysians against such illegal and wrongful punishment.

Now that the female victim is believed to be a Malay woman, DAP hopes that Utusan Malaysia will  admit that issue is not about race nor religion but about human rights and the lack of respect of detainees, especially women, by the security forces. Previously another Malay victim, Nora binti , had complained of similar abuses by the police on her in 2000.                                                                                     

(01/12/2005)