Press Statement by Charles Santiago in Klang on
Saturday, 13rd September 2008:
Free ALL ISA detaniees NOW
I strongly condemn the arrests of DAP
legislator and Selangor State Exco member Teresa Kok, promienent blogger
Raja Petra Kamaruddin, and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng under
the country's harsh Internal Security Act. This is clearly an act of
desperation by UMNO to divert peoples' attention from the real problems
facing the ruling party.
While UMNO leaders are scrambling to keep their slippery grip on power,
detaining people without trial will only serve to accelerate the ruling
government's collapse. These arrests vividly signal a crackdown on
dissent and a repeat of the Operasi Lalang in 1987, where 119 people
were rounded up by police.
The hasty move to silence dissidents under the ISA reinforces the
suspicion that the government is threatened by former deputy premier
Anwar Ibrahim's repeated claims of taking over the government on
September 16.
Those arrested are victims of a shadow play engineered by the government
to gloss over the pressing realities of a deep rift in UMNO, incompetent
leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, rampant corruption
and money politics that threaten to wreck the party.
UMNO is fast becoming irrelevant to Malaysia's politics. The March
general election which dealt a severe blow to the ruling coalition
partners shows that the people have rejected the leadership of UMNO.
The ruling party had also lost face as Malays, who once formed the
bedrock of UMNO's support, turned their backs on the party and
overwhelmingly voted for the opposition.
The people shunned domestic media which falsely drummed up the
credibility of the government as a last attempt to garner support and
instead turned to the various websites that provided an alternative to
mainstream media.
Prominent blogger Raja Petra had repeatedly been the target of the law
for his postings, which have drawn a major following in the country. He
was charged in May for implying that deputy premier Najib Tun Razak
played a lead role in the killing of a Mongolian interpreter, a factor
that played up during the polls and shored support for the opposition.
Although the government claims that the online writer's arrest stems
from Raja Petra's insulting comments about Islam, Malaysians are aware
that it originates from his reports that highlighted the many misdeeds
by the ruling coalition government.
While Abdullah chose not to initiate investigations into Raja Petra'a
claims, the on-line writer was continuously subjected to enquiries and
even had access to his blog cut off.
Tan, on the other hand, was arrested for reporting on the racist remarks
by Bukit Bendera chief Ahmad Ismail. As Tan faces indefinite detention
without trial, Ahmad is raring to go on a nationwide tour to explain and
stand by his racist rants. Despite having branded the Chinese as
squatters and immigrants and likened them to American Jews who are
hungry for both economic and political power, he is roaming the streets
free.
In a further attempt to quell non conformity, the government has slapped
an insidious show cause letter on three newspapers, namely Sin Chew
Daily, The Sun and Anwar Ibrahim's party organ, Suara Keadilan.
Traditionally Malaysian media organisations, dubbed the mouthpiece of
the government, are owned by the ruling elite or those close to them.
Free media forms the core essence of democracy and attempts to silence
media workers through threats amount to violation of their rights to
report in an environment that is free from harassment.
The Chinese and English dailies have to explain their slant in reporting
on the racial remarks by Ahmad. Suara Keadilan is hauled up for
publishing news reports stating that the country's police chief is
paralyzed after heart surgery.
The editors have one week to respond and if their answers are not
satisfying, the papers could be suspended or have their publishing
licenses revoked. Such blatant acts to instill fear among the Malays and
non-Malays will only lead to more backlash for the government.
Moreover, these crafty maneuvers strongly imply that Abdullah is trying
to bolster his fragile position within UMNO. He has been plagued by
calls for resignation since the coalition's dismal performance at the
general polls.
The Prime Minister must find a durable solution to the political crisis
within UMNO and the ruling National Front government without invoking
preventive laws, as they violate basic human rights and the right to
free speech. I urge the government to charge those arrested in court to
allow them an opportunity to defend themselves or release them with
immediate effect.
* Charles Santiago, MP for Klang
http://dapmalaysia.org