`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Monday, November 21, 2011

DON'T BE FOOLED: Another repressive law from Najib coming this week

DON'T BE FOOLED: Another repressive law from Najib coming this week

Prime Minister Najib Razak will be tabling the ‘Peaceful Assembly Act’ this week, according to both the mainstream and web media. Translated, this means that Najib will be tabling an Act that will try to stop the people from demonstrating against the BN’s excesses and corruption.

There is no need for any such Act to be tabled by that master of hypocrisy, Najib Razak. Article 10 of the constitution already gives the people the right to freedom of assembly.

In the past, BN governments have been able to stop the people from demonstrating by the use of intimidation, by instilling fear in the people and by brute police force. But the BN, and Najib, know that those methods no longer work.

Bersih, a defining moment

The tens of thousands who came out for the Bersih demo proved that the people will no longer be cowed by such tactics. The people will no longer allow themselves to be terrorized by a despotic BN administration. The people are now willing to risk their safety to stand up for their rights.

This despite the most draconian measures being taken by the police to stop Bersih 2.0, including shutting down KL Central, the capital’s transportation hub and wanton brute force unleashed on peaceful protestors. It was a defining moment in Malaysian history and a proud moment for its citizens.

Recent history in the Middle-East has shown us that batons, tear gas, propaganda and guns are futile against a determined people. Mubarak’s entire security apparatus, his secret police, his gangs of thugs crumbled in the face of the unarmed, fragile ordinary Egyptians, men and women, gathered in Tahir Square.

Gaddafi reacted with barbaric brutality, launching a merciless war against his own countrymen. We know his fate, we watched it on TV. His son, Saif, for all his bluster and threats to fight to the last bullet, looked at the cameras with frightened eyes, after his capture. Tyrants are no different from their citizens; in the end we are all fragile sacks of meat and bone; though few seem to remember that when they are in power.

Assad clings on in Syria, but the writing is already on the wall for him. In a recent interview, he promised that elections would be held next year, and those who are unhappy with him could vote for someone else. He did not mention that the election would be rigged and the people’s will be thwarted. This is the usual refuge of dictators everywhere; offer an election, then rig it. Syrians did not believe him, of course, the protests go on, and young Syrians continue to bleed and die on the streets of Damascus, the sidewalks of Homs and in Syria’s other ancient cities.

Demonstrations are a pressure valve and part of Democracy

Demonstrations are a necessary part of Democracy and for that they should be allowed, whether it is in Damascus, in London, or in Kuala Lumpur. Elections are limited means for citizens to show dissatisfaction, and they come only every four or five years. Even governments that are freely and fairly elected should not be allowed to win an election and then do whatever they like for half a decade.

There must be ways for citizens to show their discontent. Demonstrations also function as a pressure valve and allow people to have their say while allowing the government to listen.

The duty of the police force should be to the nation, and not to any individual party. Their job is to facilitate peaceful demonstrations by directing traffic and protecting the participants. In Malaysia, regrettably, the BN government is neither freely nor fairly elected, and the police force is wont to act like the BN’s hired goons.

Trying to fool the people again

In this environment, it becomes even more critical that the people’s rights under the constitution is not stripped away by such misnamed legislation as the ‘Peaceful Assembly Act’ that Najib is planning to spring on Parliament. Nor should Najib, if he has at all any sense of decency, continue to try to fool the people with the pretense that he is giving them back their freedoms.

He is not, he is actually further depriving Malaysians of their freedom with this despicable Act he is proposing. If Najib wants to amend the constitution to take away the rights of Malaysians, he will first have to gain a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The BN, and the authorities, should read the constitution, in particular Article 10, and then abide by it. That is all that is required, not misleading legislation from the duplicitous Najib.

Malaysia Chronicle

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.