PSM man's three-day remand just to probe Facebook slammed
A PKR Youth leader has slammed the government for the three-day remand for Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member Khairul Nizam Abd Ghani just to investigate postings on Facebook.
“ The Malaysian government, whether out of confusion or deliberately, wants to deny the people’s right to speak up to the point activists who speak out are treated like criminals.
“ Arrested at home, separated from his family, yet the police still apply to remand him for three days just to investigate Facebook postings.
“ It’s as if there is a special team tasked with reading every piece of writing by activists in the social media every second and every moment,” said PKR Youth organising secretary Ahmad Syukri Ab Razab in a statement today.
Khairul Nizam was arrested arrested under the Sedition Act in Kelantan on Friday – his second arrest in two weeks.
On Dec 28 last year, he was arrested under the Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 over a Facebook post.
In the posting, Khairul had reportedly criticised the continued use of the Sedition Act in October to detain critics of the BN government.
When he was arrested again on Friday, it was supposedly for a Facebook post he made in June last year, but it is unclear what the posting was.
Terrible waste
Meanwhile, Ahmad Syukri said the police should focus on index crimes such as snatch theft, break-ins, robbery, and violent crimes, instead of enforcing draconian laws that deny people the freedom of expression.
This is in light of a 2011 study by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, which found higher crime rates in the country are correlated to higher poverty rate, unemployment rate, and high cost of goods, and vice versa.
In addition, even Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had conceded that 2016 would be a tough year for the country's economy.
“ It would be a terrible waste is the national budget for security and public order is spent on arresting activists celebrating democracy. In the 2016 budget, the government allocated RM13.1 billion to improve public safety.
“ What is the significance of arresting an activist in ensuring national security? Isn't this a was of resources and money that should be used for a clearer purpose?” he said.
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