vox populi small thumbnail 'The police are so powerful in Malaysia that they could deny our fundamental right as enshrined in Malaysian constitution.'

Top cop: Enough of talks, the law will be enforced

Ibnu Ishak: "The country's No 2 police officer said as of last night, there were 2,136 reports lodged against the rally - the highest ever relating to a public rally."

When will the nation's leaders, the ruling party and the police realise that this woeful and pathetic line of "reasoning" is unacceptable? Even if three-quarters of the people, and with good reason, disagree with what somebody wishes to say, they have no right to silence that person.

They certainly have no right to deny that person's right to a voice by acts of mass anticipatory intimidation. That is what all this orgy of filing police reports is all about. It is an exercise in intimidation - plain and simple.

Rather than bowing to such measures and invoking them to justify its own "liberalism deficit", the police command should see, as its first priority, the need to act against and discourage this kind of "pre-emptive silencing" of the expression and exercise of legitimate rights.

DannyLoHH: No more negotiation - with these words, deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar has made Malaysia a police state. The police are so powerful in Malaysia that they could deny our fundamental right as enshrined in Malaysian Constitution.

The police are now no longer upholding rule of law. They are the law now. They can outlaw any colour, any shirt, and anyone. With the way things are progressing, they can even outlaw elections.

Quigonbond: This is like the ex-communicated lover crying "don't talk to me again". Time for talk has been over for some time now when Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein declared that the police won't be issuing any approval for the rallies. So what's the police talking about?

Pakman: Which is supreme, the Malaysian Constitution or the Police Act? It has been proven time and again that the Police Act is used to protect the interests of Umno/BN.

Karma: The police never intend to talk to anyone wanting to do street demo. It is long established principle by the police: if demo by non-BN people, act against them violently, spray them with chemical waters, pounce on them and lock them up; if demo by BN people just stand and watch, make sure no one disturb them and pretend to ask them to disperse after awhile.

Then the home minister will say they have right to demonstrate and the de facto law minister will say they violate no law and the prime minister say, "I can't stop them."

Anonymous_5fb: I wonder who is in charge of PDRM now - the IGP or deputy IGP? I thought the day before, Bersih 2.0 has a 'fruitful' talk with the IGP and there'll be more talks if necessary. Yesterday, we saw the deputy IGP saying otherwise.

Which is which now? It looks to me the IGP and deputy IGP don't talk to each other.

L Joy: It is quite obvious that the IGP expected Bersih chief S Ambiga to succumb to his pressures and announce the cancellation after their meet, as has been the case for all such situations before this.

Now that that did not happen, the IGP is lost for words and so his deputy makes another announcement that there is no more talks.

We can expect many more voices and propaganda of impending violence, initiated by the government-controlled media from now until the rally, which would be used by police to declare an Emergency.

Up2U: Yes, enough of talks, the law must be enforced without fear or favour. Malaysians expect nothing less from the police force. Bersih rally on July 9 has yet to happen. Any action by the police would therefore be preventive.

However, Perkasa's actions, Ibrahim Ali's threat to Chinese Malaysians and the recent Umno Youth action at PKR HQ had happened. The police must take stern and appropriate action against them before going after Bersih.

Anonymous: "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law." - Martin Luther King, ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail'.

The above passage was influenced by Henry David Thoreau's essay ‘Civil Disobedience', in which he argues that one should break unjust laws, and be willing to accept the consequences. King noted in his autobiography that reading Thoreau's essay as a college student introduced him to the idea of non-violent resistance.

Loyal Malaysian: Khalid, your political masters cannot stand up to the rigors of free and fair elections - which is why your henchmen will be unleashed to ensure the rally to demand for electoral reforms, for which Bersih 2.0 will walk peacefully, shall not take place.

But we will walk, and we shall walk with Bersih 2.0 even if it be only in our hearts. And we shall hold Bersih's ideals close to our hearts and when we next walk to the polling stations to exercise our democratic rights, we shall make sure those who have trampled on our civil rights will be punished.

Tuah PJ: It's on, brudder. See you there.

Gov't anti-Bersih drive hits mosques, campuses

Kingfisher: In the Dark/Middle Ages, religion had been used to demonise human beings with such atrocious actions like the burning of witches, etc. And in recent history, religion has been instrumental in justifying the subjection and subordination of people by colonisation and forced occupation of lands.

In more recent times, the politics of cruelty has initiated engaging religion to suppress ordinary aspirations of people for fundamental human rights and for dignity of life through fairness and equity.

As a young democratic and modern nation, we could pave a future path where religion can enhance our dignity and well-being and give us all an enabling environment that will allow us to make a decent living and keep a decent home and nation. Is there not a difference between civil discourse and civil disobedience?

Swipenter: Umno/BN govt is really running scare and out of ideas how to counter the Bersih 2.0 rally.

They should instead use the mosques to spread anti-corruption campaigns and abuse of powers by politicians and the need for clean, fair accountable and transparent governance.

With people in charge of higher education "protecting" the students by issuing threats of expulsion against them for participating in Bersih 2.0. No wonder the ranking of our universities are unlikely to improve but likely to go down further. We are producing educated robots instead of educated students/graduates.

Bender: Out of desperation, the Umno/BN machineries make use of whatever channel they have left to persuade people to follow their ungodly ways. They know well people don't listen to their propaganda channels any more, so they use the masjid as a means to take cheap shot at Bersih.

Believe me, this sort of thing won't work because people know better. Nothing is more annoying than going to a Friday prayer and listening to government propaganda instead of true messages of Islam. Peace to all.

 

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