Najib’s UK visit met with indignant protests at Downing Street, the Lord Mayor’s Office and Park Lane

By Sydney Sassoon

As Prime Minister Najib set out on a 3-day official visit of London, concerned Malaysian citizens in the UK turned out in full force to show their disapproval at the Malaysian government’s shameful crackdown on civil liberties in Kuala Lumpur last weekend, staging a series of protests at Downing Street, the Lord Mayor’s Office and Park Lane.

On Friday, over 50 concerned Malaysians living in the UK set up a solidarity watch calling for the release of the six activists detained under the Emergency Ordinance Act over two weeks ago, outside the Intercontinental Hotel where Prime Minister Najib was due to host a dinner. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman came over to engage in a short discussion. However when asked when the EO6 would be released or when detention without trial would be abolished in Malaysia he declined to comment and said, ‘Why don’t you ask Hisham’, referring to Home Minister Hishammudin Hussein Onn. Najib and Hishammudin however refused to come over and meet with the protestors, preferring instead to duck into the hotel as soon as they alighted from their MPVs.

On Thursday over 50 citizen activists lined the pavement at the Lord Mayor’s office at Mansion House, where Najib was due to address London business leaders. Although chanting was kept to a minimum so as not to disrupt the proceedings of the court next door, the message sent to Mr Najib, his government and the London business community was clear. Pictures of the 6 activists detained under the Emergency Ordinance Act greeted Najib as he hastily alighted from his official car and gave the protestors a quick wave. He did not however go as far as to come over and engage with the protestors.

One business leader declined to be named said, ‘ I’ve been following the recent events in Malaysia quite closely and of course it is worrying and affects investor confidence, but then this situation is not new. We’ll have to wait and see if things improve. ’

On Wednesday Najib’s luncheon meeting with Mr Cameron was met with angry protest at Downing Street instead. Whilst Mr Cameron was delayed with the media hacking scandal at Prime Minister’s question time, indignant demonstrators had questions of their own for Mr Najib.

Over a dozen citizen activists were seen outside Downing Street holding colourful yellow banners and placards calling on Najib and his administration to stop abusing human rights, end detention without trial and release all detainees held under the Emergency Ordinance and Internal Security Act with immediate effect. One protestor playfully chanted ‘Yellow t-shirts are NOT illegal’ and another rapped ‘Malaysian Government stop abusing human rights!’ whilst another chanted ‘Mr Cameron hear our plea, tell Najib to set them free!’

In a symbolic depiction of the way the Malaysian government has stripped citizens of their right to free speech and peaceful assembly through the use of arbitrary detention without trial, one protestor tied himself to the pavement railings blindfolded and gagged, drawing curious onlookers.

Protestors distributed hundreds of leaflets highlighting the spiralling human rights violations in Malaysia to passing politicians and the British public on their lunch break, many of whom were shocked at the behaviour of a country that tries hard to project itself as a modern cultural melting pot and paradise holiday destination.

One passerby Brian Smith, 32 said, ‘What has happened in Malaysia in the last week- the clampdown on peaceful demonstration, the gagging of free speech and the mass arrests for simple acts such as wearing yellow t-shirts make Malaysia look ridiculous. This is the sort of behaviour you expect of a dictatorial regime, and is totally at odds with the image we are often sold of Malaysia’s beautiful rainforests and idyllic beaches.’

Clare Robertson, 35 said, ‘I’ve got some Malaysian friends who have been keeping me updated on the situation and it’s absolutely horrific. I’ve seen pictures of how the peaceful demonstrators were treated with water cannons and tear gas and menacing police in riot gear. This is totally at odds with the liberal image that the Malaysian government is always trying to project. I sincerely hope that Mr Cameron and his cabinet remind Mr Najib that Malaysia needs to clean up its act. There can be no engagement on a business and diplomatic level if the Malaysian government continues to flout international human rights norms with such impunity and behave in such a disgraceful manner.’

UK campaigners have alerted the UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May, the UK Parliamentary Working Group on Malaysia and the UK Parliamentary Working Group on Human Rights on the events of recent weeks in the hope that the UK Government will make an urgent representation to the Malaysian government during this visit. They have urged Mr Cameron and the UK government to remind Mr Najib and his delegation that no government can act with impunity against its citizens and still expect to be taken seriously on the international stage. In a speech on 1 July 2011, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague stated that "Our foreign policy should always have consistent support for human rights and poverty reduction at its irreducible core and we should always strive to act with moral authority, recognising that once that is damaged it is hard to restore."

UN human rights experts on Monday (11 July 2011) expressed their dismay at the use of tear gas and water cannons by security authorities against peaceful protestors in Malaysia on Saturday, reportedly leading to injuries and one death, and the arrest of more than 1,600 people at the Bersih 2.0 rally. They remain deeply concerned about the detention of six individuals since 25 June under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for detention without trial for up to 60 days. In a press release on Monday (11 July 2011) Amnesty International called on the UK government to press Malaysia’s Prime Minister on freedom of assembly during his visit this week. “The British government shouldn’t reward this brutality by rolling out a red carpet for Malaysia’s prime minister,” said Donna Guest.