Report: M'sian civic space 'obstructed' for sixth year since 2018

Malaysia's civic space status has been classified as “obstructed” for the sixth year in a row since 2018, according to a global report.

The Civicus Monitor report said this year's ranking was due to the government's weaponisation of repressive laws, which cause the prosecution of human rights defenders, questioning of journalists as well as the detention and use of excessive force against protesters.

In the report, People Power Under Attack 2024, Malaysia received a score of 50, up three points from last year's score of 47.

However, Malaysia earned the top spot among Southeast Asian countries. The next highest is Indonesia (48), followed by Thailand (39), Brunei (35), and the Philippines (34).

The lowest scores in the Asean region went to Vietnam (10), Myanmar (10), and Laos (six).

"In Malaysia, where the state of civic space is rated by the Civicus Monitor as ‘obstructed’, there are ongoing concerns on the array of restrictive laws, especially the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) and the Sedition Act 1948, often used to silence online dissent and to harass human rights defenders," said Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation Asia-Pacific region civic space researcher Josef Benedict in a statement.

The “obstructed” category means that the country's civic space is heavily contested by those in charge, who wield legal and practical constraints over fundamental rights.

Although citizens can protest and organise, they risk the use of excessive force by enforcement authorities, while journalists face threats that encourage self-censorship.

Civicus, a global alliance working towards strengthening civil societies worldwide, noted that the Asia-Pacific region's top five violations are: detaining protesters, detaining human rights defenders, the use of excessive force, the prosecution of human rights defenders, and censorship.

Probe, questioning, arrest

Benedict gave an example of the probe on former DAP lawmaker Tony Pua under the colonial-era Sedition Act over his Facebook posts criticising the Pardon Board’s decision to reduce Najib Abdul Razak’s prison sentence.

Benedict also noted the questioning of a Bloomberg journalist after the release of a news report which quoted sources saying Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had met Berjaya Corp founder Vincent Tan and Genting Group’s Lim Kok Thay to discuss opening a casino in Forest City, Johor.

Additionally, he pointed to the arrest of Borneo Komrad founder Mukmin Nantang under the Sedition Act, regarding a video circulating on TikTok about sea nomad communities.

In the report, it said that Malaysian authorities summoned peaceful protesters for questioning after the latter's participation in Palestine solidarity rallies.

This was in reference to an incident that occurred in September, in which seven people were questioned over an unauthorised pro-Palestine protest held outside the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

"The rights of journalists covering protests have also been violated," the report further commented.

Only nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region received an “open” civic space designation: Japan (84), Kiribati (91), Marshall Islands (96), Micronesia (90), New Zealand (89), Palau (96), Samoa (82), Taiwan (82), and Tuvalu (91).

Last year's report said that censorship had increased under Anwar's administration.

This is in contrast to its 2018 edition, which said that “changes in political leadership have led to an improving environment for civic activism”, referring to Pakatan Harapan's success in grasping power.

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