Abdullah should
deplore and dissociate from police firing of tear gas against women and
children and arrest of peaceful protestors against US war on Iraq at KLCC on
Saturday for breaking unwritten compact of anti-war all-party national unity
and consensus
Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
(Petaling Jaya,
Monday):
Acting Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should deplore and
dissociate from police firing of tear gas against women and children and
arrest of peaceful protestors against US war on Iraq at the KLCC in Kuala
Lumpur on Saturday for breaking the unwritten compact of anti-war all-party
national unity and consensus on this issue, which saw an unanimous motion
uniting MPs from all political parties, whether Barisan Nasional, Barisan
Alternative or DAP, in condemning the US unilateral-led war without United
Nations sanction.
Abdullah said yesterday that individuals or organisations intending to voice
their opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq should ensure that their
rallies were per-mitted by the police and their protests made through Peace
Malaysia.
As Home Minister, Abdullah should ensure that the police do not impose
unreasonable restrictions or obstacles in the way of peaceful protests by
individuals or organizations against the US war against Iraq.
It is no business of the police to require all peaceful protests to be
channeled through the officially-sponsored People's Alliance for Peace
Malaysia movement, as if Malaysians are only allowed to voice their protests
against the US-led war against Iraq through official channels like Peace
Malaysia while all other avenues to express their peaceful protests are
illegitimate and illegal.
It is most regrettable that Abdullah did not even question the police as to
the need to use tear gas to disperse the peaceful demonstrators, especially
when there were women and children, at the KLCC last Saturday.
Before the parliamentary debate last Monday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad called on the government and opposition parties to shed
their differences and speak with one voice on this important issue, and he
asked that the parliamentary debate should not be derailed and linked to
other issues.
The opposition parties had given a positive response to Mahathir, but this
seems to have been reciprocated by police tear gas and arrests of opposition
leaders and activists protesting against the US-led war against Iraq.
Abdullah should cherish the rare show of all-party national unity and
consensus on the US-led unilateral war on Iraq and build on the unanimous
parliamentary motion and ensure that the trigger-happy police attitude
towards peaceful demonstrations should not be allowed to scuttle such
all-party unity and consensus with double-standard treatment of anti-war
peaceful protests, depending on the political orientation of the organizers.
In this connection, Abdullah should accept the outstanding Suhakam
recommendations that the police respect the fundamental human rights of
Malaysians to freedom of assembly as far back as 2001, by allowing anti-war
peaceful demonstrations regardless of the organisers, as they are not
demonstrating against the Malaysian government but the US-allied forces
attacking Iraq.
The police should announce such a liberal and enlightened position, lifting
the blanket ban on anti-war demonstrations and co-operating with anti-war
peaceful demonstrators to maintain law and order, and canceling the police
bond on the 12 persons arrested last Saturday, including PRM president, Syed
Husin Ali, requiring them to report to the Dang Wangi police station on
April 8.
Abdullah should also convene an all-party/NGOs anti-war roundtable
conference to discuss and co-ordinate anti-war protests to ensure that the
police are not allowed to scuttle the rare all-party anti-war national unity
and consensus with high-handed police conduct like arbitrary arrests and
indiscriminate use of tear gas.
(31/3/2003)
*
Lim Kit Siang, DAP National
Chairman
|
http://dapmalaysia.org