Time to break silence on sedition swoop, PM told
Two think-tanks today urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to break his silence over the spate of arrests and charges under the Sedition Act.
Two think-tanks today urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to break his silence over the spate of arrests and charges under the Sedition Act.
Failure to break the "disquiet" would fuel "speculation that the government is giving in to right-wing groups", Centre for a Better Tomorrow co-president Gan Ping Sieu (right) said.
Gan, who is former MCA vice-president and now Islamic law and implementation taskforce chairperson, said that Najib must tell the rakyat if the "crackdown will intensify or will be rolled back".
"He needs to reiterate his commitment that state apparatus would not be used for political means and will remain apolitical.
"This includes action against members of his administration if they were found to have flouted the law, like inciting racial hatred," he said in a hard-hitting statement today.
He said that as a statesman, Najib has a duty to show that the government is not bowing to pressure from those who want authorities to punish quarters critical of the ruling elite.
Is this due to Dr M pressure?
This was echoed by PKR think-tank Political Studies for Change (KPRU) which told Najib to explain why the swoop in the face of Najib’s claims that Putrajaya will repeal the Sedition Act.
KPRU chief Ooi Heng (right) also questioned if the sudden crackdown was in response to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s pressure on Najib to stop being " soft " on critical issues.
"The PM should instead stand out and explain to the people regarding (what) he promised, and what is actually going on in this country.
"KPRU would also like to posit if the breach of promise is the result of the demand pressured by former Dr Mahathir Mohamad?
"Is his insistence or coercion altogether comprised the charges against academic and journalist, and also to imprison Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim?" he asked.
He also questioned if the crackdown, seen to silence civil society, is timed to take advantage of "political fatigue" due to the Selangor menteri besar crisis, which is plaguing Pakatan Rakyat to take advantage of "political fatigue".
Weapon of autocracy
Meanwhile, electoral reform watchdog Bersih condemns the government for allegedly using the Sedition Act as a "weapon" for "autocracy".
“We cannot be in denial, but admit that the recent actions are ill-intended and meant to distract society from pressing issues like declining quality of life and economic pressures, including the soon to be implemented goods and services tax.
"We fear that this is also a ploy to distract from larger agenda like the re-delineation process, which will strengthen the ruling government’s hold in the next general election," it said.
As such it demands that all charges and investigations under the Sedition Act be dropped immediately and the law be repealed without conditions.
Yesterday, Malaysiakini journalist Susan Loone (left) became the latest to be caught in the sedition dragnet when she was arrested under the Sedition Act for an article quoting Penang executive council member Phee Boon Poh.
This morning, activist Safwan Anang was sentenced to 10 months' jail for uttering seditious remarks in a speech on May 13 last year.
The Prime Minister’s Office earlier said that the government is in the midst of gathering input for the National Harmony Act, which is meant to replace the Sedition Act.
Najib had in 2012 announced that the Sedition Act will be repealed.
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