The police could have summoned artist-activist Fahmi Reza to the station instead of arresting him, for he has always cooperated with the authorities in the past, Gerakan Hapus Akta Hasutan (GHAH) says.

The movement was referring to last Saturday’s arrest of Fahmi for selling T-shirts featuring clown-faced Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak at the KL Alternative Bookfest (KLAB) in Kuala Lumpur, along with three others.

Fahmi, KLAB organiser Pang Khee Teik, community activist Lew Pik-Svonn and comic artist Arif Rafhan Othman were reportedly released at 3am on Sunday, but the incident has drawn a tsunami of protests from NGOs nationwide.

“Fahmi has always given his full cooperation to the police when he was summoned to the station to assist in their investigations. He was also present at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) when called to appear,” GHAH, a movement supported by 133 NGOs, said in a statement yesterday.

Besides labelling the alleged confiscation of “seditious” materials and Lew’s car as excessive and bewildering, Suaram executive director D Sevan (photo) also lamented how the people have forgotten that even government leaders can be criticised.

“In a democratic society, no leader can be beyond reproach. Many Malaysians seem to have forgotten this important notion and allow our ‘leaders’ to instil fear in us, forcing many to remain silent in the face of oppression,” Sevan said on behalf of the human rights NGO.

Suaram’s opinion was echoed by Proham secretary-general J Denison.

“People in public office should normally be more open to face different kinds of criticism,” Denison said.

Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) president Cynthia Gabriel also fired off another explosive condemnation of the arrest.

“There is nothing criminal about the work Fahmi has done (the clown-face and the ‘#KitaSemuaPenghasut’ – #WeAreAllSeditious – statement).

“He has every right to design as he wishes. There is a very important political message there, that our society is a very corrupt one. And that we should stop hiding behind the Sedition Act but address the truth for what it is,” Cynthia told Malaysiakini.

In addition to the arrest, Fahmi is currently facing two charges under Section 233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1988.

Net Merdeka, another coalition of NGOs which includes the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), expressed concern about the recent string of arrests under the Act and urged the government to safeguard online freedom of expression.