Two days ago saw the conviction of student activist Adam Ali under the draconian Sedition Act. The excessive penalty imposed on him means that those who have been charged under the Act may also face severe penalty if convicted.
Although there have been widespread criticisms against the recent sedition blitz to stifle freedom of expression , it is obvious that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib is not prepared to stop the blitz which is a new political crackdown .
In 1987, a total of 108 persons including lawmakers, activists, educationists were detained under the draconian Internal Security Act. The infamous Operasi Lalang crackdown also saw the revoking of the publishing licenses of The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh and Watan.
How many more people will be arrested and charged in the new crackdown which is an obvious selective prosecution against government critics?
The crackdown has certainly made the Prime Minister’s 2012 promise to repeal the Act and his 2013 talk about political reconciliation sound hollow and insincere.
Right thinking Malaysians must speak out against the political repression and must make the Prime Minister see that the draconian law must be abolished as he promised two years ago.
Early this month, 112 NGOs had formed the movement “Abolish the Sedition Act” (GHAH) and 5 days ago, it was launched at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.
It was encouraging that the Malaysian Bar had also two days ago overwhelmingly passed a motion to organise a peaceful protest against the Sedition Act.
The 1987 Operasi Lalang was a Malaysian tragedy that stifled the healthy development of Malaysia’s democracy for many years. The crackdown also brought much hardship to the detainees and their families, and the newspapers’ employees who were made jobless.
Malaysians must not allow another tragedy to happen and more NGOs must speak out against the sedition blitz and let Prime Minister Datuk Najib see the public resolve that the draconian law must be abolished.