Only a handful of harmless anti-war protestors converged in front of the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur to peacefully protest the US-led war in Iraq but they were harshly and severely dealt with by the Barisan Nasional's government's riot squad.
This is proof to the world that thousands may protest peacefully on the streets of Washington, London and Paris but when it comes to 400 in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian government will act harshly by firing teargas and chemical-laced water jets.
This from a government that supposedly is against the war in Iraq. That spoke up against the atrocities at US prison camps in Iraq. That spoke out for the freedom of Burmese icon Aung Sang Suu Kyi.
But when it comes to freedom of speech and assembly for Malaysians, these will not be tolerated This is a two-faced government.
Human rights and parliamentary democracy in Malaysia have been reduced to a political 'sandiwara' (shadow play). Parliament is only a rubber stamp now. There is no accountability for government actions.
The prime minister should call for an immediate inquest to determine whether the police acted on their own in dispersing the peaceful show of protest by those anti-war demonstrators. It is unacceptable for the citizens of Malaysia to be treated this way.
