Is this N Korea? LFL pans govt over arrest of Bersatu man, influencer

Summary

• Lawyers for Liberty director Zaid Malek berates the authorities over the arrest of two government critics, stressing Putrajaya has no right to silence critics.

• He also bemoans the use of the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, accusing the government of becoming less tolerant of dissenting views.

Lawyers for Liberty hurled brickbats at the government over the arrest of Bersatu member Aidil Qayyum and TikToker Kamil Puteh in the wee hours of the day.

Its director, Zaid Malek, said the duo merely commented on matters of public interest, where no criminal offence was committed.

“Are criticisms of public policy or corruption now unlawful under the unity government? Is this North Korea?

“Their arrests are a blatant abuse of power,” he said in a statement today.

Earlier, MalaysiaNow reported that Aidil, who is part of Bersatu Youth's new media section, was arrested at his home at 1am, believed to be over his comments critical of the government's new subsidy scheme for RON95.

He is being investigated under the Sedition Act, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code related to causing "fear or alarm to the public".

As for Kamil, he was arrested at 3.30am over comments made concerning MACC absolving Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of claims that the latter kept a bank account in Israel.

Respect constitutional right

Unimpressed, Zaid urged the government to respect the people’s right to speak out on matters of public interest, as guaranteed under Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution.

The lawyer-activist pointed out that the petrol subsidy scheme involves public policy, while corruption is a matter of national interest.

“And it is not a right that can be limited to the whims and fancies of Madani,” Zaid mentioned.

He also bemoaned the use of the Sedition Act and Section 233 of CMA, adding that the government’s reluctance to repeal the draconian laws shows how Putrajaya is getting less tolerant of criticisms.

“The continued existence of these draconian laws and their active usage under the unity government is a clear act of intimidation to the public at large from making any comments or criticisms of the government or its policies.

“It is an affront to the Constitution and smells of authoritarianism,” he added.

Zaid then urged the authorities to stop the investigations and ensure government critics are not arrested for merely exercising their constitutional right.

“Most important of all, the government must honour its promise and take immediate steps to repeal the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the CMA.”

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