A group of women's non-governmental organisations today called on the government to immediately drop all charges against a Keadilan leader and a Universiti Malaya lecturer.

The organising committee of Women's Agenda for Change said that the recent arrests of Keadilan youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, for statements he claimed he did not make, and his supporters were a cause of concern.

"If Ezam's denial of the statement attributed to him by a local paper is true, then it appears as if a conspiracy exists to falsely implicate certain people. We hope that this is not the case," WAC project officer Lee Wei Ching said in a press statement today.

Nine opposition supporters spent a night in police lock-ups after they were arrested for holding a candlelight vigil for Ezam the following night of his arrest. ([#1] 9 penyokong Ezam ditahan di balai Travers, Campbell [/#], 6 Mac)

Ezam was charged in the Sessions Court yesterday with uttering seditious words to a reporter which were later reported in the March 4 issue of Mingguan Malaysia .

He is charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act which carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail, or a fine of up to RM5,000, or both.

According to the charge, part of the alleged seditious words has the tendency to incite the public to change the government by unlawful means, which contradicts the federal constitution. Ezam is currently out on a RM5,000 bail.

Unquestioning loyalty

Lee added that WAC also objected to intimidations to silence criticisms of the government as in the case of Universiti Malaya associate professor Dr Chia Oai Peng who was sent a show-cause letter for an Internet posting she made.

"Are we arriving at a stage when even our intellectuals have to express unquestioning loyalty to the government?" Lee said.

Malaysiakini reported last week that Chia, of the Literature and Social Science Faculty, received a show-cause letter from university vice-chancellor Prof Dr Anuar Zaini Md Zain for her e-mail postings on the Damansara Chinese school issue in a discussion group last month. ([#2] Lecturer asked to show cause for Internet postings [/#], March 5)

Chia, who is a former member of the Parent-Teacher Association of SJK (C) Damansara, had told malaysiakini that the postings referred to in the show-cause letter were made to correct some erroneous information on the issue.

According to Chia, the Damansara school was initially slated to move to Bandar Utama, which is closer to the old site. However, that plan was 'hijacked' by a number of influential individuals, who gave the allocated school in Bandar Utama to SJK Puay Chai (II).

Inaccurate details

Meanwhile WAC also called on the government to conduct a full investigation of the distorted reports on RTM about malaysiakini journalists.

Lee said the stories aired over the national TV station recently were misleading because they were inaccurate on details that could be easily ascertained.

"( Malaysiakini editor) Steven Gan has already refuted the story about himself, but RTM paid no heed to it. Next the authorities come up with a story of an event that took place nine years ago and once again the truth is distorted.

"Is the Information Ministry undertaking a planned campaign to mislead the Malaysian public? We are appalled at such abuse of the resources of the state and the betrayal of the trust of the Malaysian people," stressed Lee.

The WAC organising committee represents six women NGOs and a worker's union. They include the Women's Development Committee, Sisters In Islam, All Women's Action Society, Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Women's Section, Wanita JIM, Women's Aid Organisation and Malaysian Metal Industries Employees Union.