YOURSAY | ‘Using Sosma on Maria is a betrayal of trust at the highest level.”

Maria unjustly punished for Bersih’s moral victory

FellowMalaysian: Detaining Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) is the most cowardly act the government has taken in its effort to quell Bersih's peaceful and legitimate urgings for reforms.

Sensing the impending triumph and success in the lead-up to the Bersih 5 rally last Saturday, all effort required to pre-empt Bersih 5's march, including detaining Maria Chin, had to be carried out by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM).

And they had to resort to using Sosma to question her and in so doing, proving that PM Najib Abdul Razak has lied when he promised that Sosma was meant to prevent terrorism and will not be used against political opponents.

The longer Maria Chin is held, the greater the discontent will be about the high-handedness and unjust methods used by the government to stymie resentments.

Bersih 5 turned out to be a well-organised and successful affair and this has shown that the government has failed to heal the concerns and interests of its people.

HaveAGreatDay: Writer Kee Thuan Chye, I wish I had your confidence. No doubt the detention of Maria Chin is an act most foul, but coming from an allegedly immoral, ruthless and unscrupulous leader, it is to be expected.

Yes, the rakyat who care must continue to raise this issue at every opportunity, to tell the leader we see his foul nature clearly, that we will not be duped by his misuse of Sosma.

Yet, I fear again the message will be lost in the rural hinterlands. But we who care for the direction of our country will refuse to be intimidated into submission.

Make no mistake about it, Najib is cultivating that climate of fear - he is trying to browbeat all dissenters into silence.

Legit: I believe the government has declared war on its own citizens. They have arrested peace-loving citizens and are abusing their power to bully and intimidate the people of this country.

They deny people of their basic rights enshrined in the constitution to free speech and freedom of assembly by falsely accusing them of causing riot and attempting to topple the government.

They are allegedly plundering the wealth of this country and anybody who questions it is arrested under the laws which are actually created to fight terrorism.

They have pushed the people to the brink and it is a matter of time when the people’s patience will boil over and this country will implode and burn. It is time for those in Umno who are left with a small amount of conscience and dignity to act.

Pandadora: Maria Chin is suffering incarceration for all of us. She is carrying all the weight of oppression of us Malaysians on her shoulders.

She has no bed, no mattress, no contact with the outside world. She is in a tiny cell with two lights on for 24 hours. She will become renowned and respected throughout the entire free world. A woman who loves her country.

Although she has three young children she still gives her time and energy towards fighting for a cause she believes in, namely free and fair elections.

The longer she suffers in solitary confinement, the more a heroine she becomes.

Bluemountains: Have you ever wondered why MCA, MIC and Gerakan are being rejected by the people? It is because they have always been giving tacit support to Umno in oppressing the people.

The BN government (of which MCA, MIC and Gerakan are partners) promised that Sosma will only be used for terrorists, but it has now abused its power when it used Sosma on Maria who is not a terrorist but a freedom fighter.

If MCA, MIC and Gerakan want to remain relevant, it must speak up now against such abuse by Umno.

Anonymous #19098644: Intimidation, misuse of power, wrongful arrest of many patriotic Malaysians only deepen the divide between the rakyat and the out of touched Umno-BN.

Tan Heng Ken: See the big contrast - one group is multi-racial, from both sexes, old and young who were participating in the rally peacefully in openness.

The other consists of only one race, almost exclusively male, their faces covered, many of which don't even know what was their purpose or why they were there. The majority of them are youngsters.

Drngsc: We pray for Maria to remain strong. She is the victim of an unjust government. Twenty-eight days of solitary confinement is no joke. We wish her good health and strong spirit.

We ourselves will continue to fight for her release and clean, free and fair elections so that we can vote out this allegedly corrupt government.

Using Sosma on Maria is a betrayal of trust at the highest level. She is not a terrorist. She is a patriot.

Anonymous 2350931441161169: One thing is obvious from Saturday's events - Bersih 5 participants were disciplined, peaceful and well-behaved while the ‘red-shirts’ were a bunch of dedak-paid hooligans who are the lowest grade cowards, harassing women and the public.

And the ‘Twitter king’ allowed them to ‘bermaharajalela’ like that.

Justine Gow: The heavy-handed approach by Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) only shows that Maria Chin and Bersih are a force to be reckoned with and is an admission of guilt for the alleged stealing of RM2.6 billion.

Najib's Clowns: Be patient, folks, it is just a matter of time, our innocent and highly-respected Maria will be freed... a tear becomes a rose.

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