Sabahan activists stage silent demo during PM’s speech
Four Sabahan activists staged a silent demonstration during Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s keynote speech at a human rights festival in Kuala Lumpur today.
Midway through Mahathir’s 20-minute address at the Democracy Festival 2019, the group rose from their seats towards the back of the hall and held up individual posters saying 'Sabah Merdeka 100 peratus' (Full independence for Sabah) and 'Hasil bumi dirogol, Sabah dimiskinkan' (Sabah plundered of natural resources)...
Four Sabahan activists staged a silent demonstration during Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s keynote speech at a human rights festival in Kuala Lumpur today.
Midway through Mahathir’s 20-minute address at the Democracy Festival 2019, the group rose from their seats towards the back of the hall and held up individual posters saying 'Sabah Merdeka 100 peratus' (Full independence for Sabah) and 'Hasil bumi dirogol, Sabah dimiskinkan' (Sabah plundered of natural resources).
They remained standing, and silent, throughout the speech.
One of the demonstrators, Jefry Musa, told Malaysiakini afterwards that they were part of an NGO named Borneo Comrade.
Jefry, who had held up a poster saying 'Hak kesihatan buat anak-anak tanpa dokumen Sabah' (Healthcare rights for undocumented Sabah children), explained that they wanted to draw attention to problems in their home state after what they claimed were years of neglect.
“Sabahans are dying, no one looks at Sabah.
"Our motive today is to make people look at Sabah, Sabah has so many problems.
“No prime minister has tried to tackle the problems... even with the change of government, there has not been any change,” he said.
As Mahathir and other Pakatan Harapan leaders left the venue, the group began chanting, but were told by emcee Hishamuddin Rais to stop.
'Democracy flawed'
Held at Publika Shopping Gallery, the festival was organised to formally launch human rights NGO Forces of Renewal Southeast Asia (Forsea).
Forsea’s board members include Hishamuddin, Sarawak Report founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown and exiled Singaporean activist and lawyer Tan Wah Piow.
The NGO believes in working with communities from Southeast Asian nations to struggle for democratic social change in the region.
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During his speech, Mahathir said democracy was flawed and often abused by countries and institutions that professed to be democratic.
“And the greatest institution in the world today, the UN, is the least democratic of all the institutions in this world.
“Five countries can deny the right of 190 other countries. If one of these five says no, then that will be the decision of the UN. It is totally undemocratic,” he said.
Mahathir also deduced that the system was “almost impossible to implement.”
“That is why I say democracy is not a perfect system, it is almost impossible to implement democracy if it is translated to mean rule of the people, by the people, for the people. It just cannot happen,” he said.
He, however, said democracy was present in Malaysia due to the peaceful transition of government on May 9 last year.
Among those in attendance were Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, Ketari assemblyperson Young Syefura Othman, Balakong assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi and Bandar Utama assemblyperson Jamaliah Jamaluddin.
Many notable NGO leaders and academics were present as well, including Bersih chairperson Thomas Fann, Penang Institute’s Wong Chin Huat, national laureate A Samad Said as well as Lawyers for Liberty’s Eric Paulsen and Latheefa Koya.
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