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Stop Blatant Use Of Existing Draconian Laws To Prosecute And Silence Opposition. Statement by Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Vice-Chairman and MP for Kepong on the recent arrests of Karpal Singh, Marina Yusoff, Ezam Mohd Noor, Zulkifli Sulong and Cheah Lim Thye. 18.1.2000 | |||||||
| Last week saw the first move by the Barisan Nasional, BN, Government to harass the Opposition, the Barisan Alternatif, BA, the Alternative Front, after the 29 November 1999 General Elections. The detention and prosecution of DAP Deputy National Chairman Karpal Singh, Parti Keadilan Nasional Vice-President Marina Yusoff, KeADILan Youth Chief Mohamed Ezam Mohd Noor, Harakah editor Zulkilfli Sulong and Harakah printer Cheah Lim Thye have attracted world attention on Malaysia. On 14 January 2000, Karpal was charged with sedition for saying something on arsenic poisoning during the trial of the former Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Marina was presented at the Butterworth Sessions Court for her speech at a DAP gathering, ceramah, in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, on 29 September 1999, uttering that UMNO leaders started the May 13 riots in 1969. Ezam was charged under the 1986 Official Secret Amendment Act, OSA, for revealing the classified Anti-Corruption Agency, ACA, reports in November 1999 on the ACA investigations into International Trade and Industry Minister Dato' Seri Rafidah Aziz and the former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik. The prosecution of the PAS party newspaper's editor and printer has also sent further warning to the media if they dare to criticize the BN Government. Malaysia has the trappings of parliamentary | |
democracy, but it still lacks the contents. We are determined to fill these contents in the context of our country. We learn from other countries, but we do not ape them. One of the main duties of the Opposition is to analyze and criticize Government policies and offer alternatives. If the media are not open, liberal and fair, we cannot discharge these duties. Despite the brazen reasonings of the BN Government, the media are constrained and the laws such as the Internal Security Act, ISA, OSA and Sedition Act, are draconian. Countries such as the United States of America, USA, have responded to the arrests, implying that the Gocernment is silencing and imprisoning its opponents to protect its version of authoritarian rule. The pro-government media such as the News Straits Times lambast USA for infringing the Malaysian independence. We uphold the country's independence. But, to criticize the Government is very different from disloyalty. The BN Government is never synomymous with the country. Whatever the rationale of the Government action, we have to speak for the Opposition. Most people can see that there are not much rooms for the Opposition in Malaysia. No doubt, the BN Government may take further action against BA members. We hope that it will see the light by stopping all forms of persecution against the Opposition.
Dr Tan Seng Giaw | |||||
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