Police officers should not take the law into their own hands to criminalise legitimate political and constitutional activities which would only mar Malaysia's interntional image on democracry and human rights  

(Batu Pahat, Tuesday): I find the warning by the Seremban district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Abdul Khalid Abu Hassan that DAP leaders and supporters who distribute the leaflets "No to 929" to the public risk being charged under the Sedition Act 1948 most deplorable, and the best example of police officers taking the law ino their own hands to criminalise legitimate political and constitutional activities in the country.  

Abdul Khalid's warning, published in the New Straits Times today, is the most blatant example of some police officers who arrogate to themselves the power to criminalise legitimate political and constitutional activities in reckless disregard of the damage of their actions to Malaysia's international image on democracy and human rights - or the recent efforts by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi in organizing the Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Islam (Kalif 2002) to show the world that the Malaysian government's concept of Islam is compatible with democracy and human rights.  

The "No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957"  campaign is a patriotic and nationalistic campaign to defend and uphold the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the "social contract" and 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a democratic, secular, multi-religious, tolerant and progressive nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state - whether ala-UMNO or ala-PAS.

If the "No to 929" campaign is seditious, then the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement are seditious documents. Furthermore, the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn would have committed sedition offences as well as they had at one time or another proclaimed that Malaysia is a secular nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state.  

In fact, in February 1983, on the occasion of his 80^th birthday, Tunku issued the clear public message that plural Malaysia should not be turned into an Islamic State.  The third Prime Minister, Tun Hussein On, who celebrated his 61^st birthday within the same week, also publicly supported Tunku's call that Malaysia should not be turned into an Islamic state.  

The Tunku and Tun Hussein's public statements in February 1983 are all in the historic archives which could not be denied by anyone.  Is Abdul Khalid trying to say that Tunku and Tun Hussein Onn had committed the offence of sedition when they called on Malaysians not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State?  

The groundless warning by Abdul Khalid is the most blatant example of the gross abuse of police powers and a wake-up call to all Malaysians that they must be prepared to exercise their constitutional rights to defend and uphold the 44-year fundamental constitutional principle and nation-building cornerstone in the  1957 Merdeka Constitution and the Merdeka  "social  contract", later reaffirmed in the  1963 Malaysia Agreement when the people of Sabah and Sarawak joined to form Malaysia, that Islam is the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state.  

In view of the baseless and misguided warning by Abdul Kahlid, I will be in Seremban on Sunday (July 28) morning together with other DAP leaders to take the non-seditious and fully constitutional "No to 929" campaign to the people of Seremban - and I call on Abdul Khalid to fully respect the Constitution, the Rukunegara and the rule of law by giving the fullest co-operation to the DAP in the discharge of our legitimate political activities.  

I find it very said that in Kampar and Seremban yesterday, there was a full police turn-out at the DAP''s "No to 929" campaigns, as if these two towns were facing major security threats and as if they do not have better things to do to carry out the basic police duties of maintaining law and order and reducing the spiralling incidence of crime in the country.  

The police must be reminded that their first job is to fight crime  and not to invent new crimes by  going around to  criminalise legitimate political and constitutional activities of opposition parties which pose no threat to law and order  or the security of the nation.  

However, if the Police want to continue to mobilise scarce police personnel at DAP's "No to 929" campaigns - which is going to increase in intensity in various parts of the country in the coming months - then  Abdullah and the Inspector-Gteneral of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai  should immediately ask for a special supplementary budget allocation for the police to increase police personnel and resources so that they will not be diverted from their most elementary duty of fighting crime because of the misguided decision to give "full-strength police escort" to DAP's "No to 929" functions. 

Abdullah can be assured that DAP MPs will give full support in Parliament  for a special supplementary budget for the police to increase police personnel and resources to monitor and "protect" the DAP's "No to 929 " campaign. 

(23/7/2002)