(Petaling
Jaya, Sunday): DAP deplores the fourth police arrests of DAP leaders and
activists in connection with the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957”
People’s Awareness Campaign, this time by the Klang police at the Pandamaram
new village market this morning.
The six DAP national and branch leaders arrested for over three hours this morning included
DAP National Publicity Secretary, Ronnie Liu, Klang DAPSY Chairman Chong Kim
Seng, former Selangor DAP State Treasurer Saw Kim Leng and three others, one of
whom is a DAP Wanita activist.
For the fourth time, the police resorted to “arrest first, find the offence later” when they arrested Ronnie Liu and five others under the Sedition Act, which is a gross abuse of police powers and blatant violation of human rights, sending out the disturbing message of the total lack of discipline and disrespect for the rule of law on the part of the police.
I will ask for
a meeting with the
Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Norian
Mai to find out the reasons for
repeated police harassment of DAP’s “No
to 929” campaign, violations of human rights and criminalisation of legitimate
constitutional political activities.
It has been said that “once is accident, twice is
coincidence, thrice is enemy action” and Norian Mai should tell the DAP and
Malaysians what the police meant by their fourth police arrests in connection
with the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” campaign – when in the three
previous arrests, myself in Ipoh on
June 5, myself and five others in
Port Dickson on July 21, DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan and 11 others in
Bentong on August 4, no charges under the Sedition Act 1948 had been made
against anyone.
Norian Mai should explain why they are harassing the
DAP’s “No to 929 campaign” when it is neither seditious nor subversive,
but a patriotic and nationalist campaign to defend and uphold the 1957 Merdeka
Constitution, the “social contract” and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that
Islam is the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state – whether
UMNO Islamic State or PAS Islamic State.
Norian Mai should explain whether the police is committed
to defending the Malaysian Constitution, as clearly enunciated by the first
three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn and
upheld by the highest court of the land on the fundamental nation-building
principle that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with
Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state, or is the
Royal Malaysian Police Force under Norian Mai
now opposed to the Federal Constitution.
It is also time for Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Abu Talib
Othman to make clear the Suhakam stand on the
flagrant police human rights violations in the repeated harassment
and criminalisation of the DAP’s legitimate constitutional political
activities – and explain what steps or actions it has taken to protect and
promote human rights in this regard.
(18/8/2002)