Tian Chua to be charged under Sedition Act on Thursday: Will Anwar be NEXT?

UPDATE 7 MP for Batu Tian Chua will be charged under the Sedition Act for remarks allegedly made in connection to the Lahad Datu intrusion.

"This is a classic case of hypocrisy of the highest order. The Prime Minister himself announced last year the Sedition Act would be repealed and replaced with the National Harmony Act but now with the general election nearby, suddenly the Attorney General seems to have forgotten that," Latheefa Koya, the legal affairs director for PKR, told Malaysia Chronicle.

It is not yet clear if Tian will be charged for alleged "mati katak"comments or for allegedly linking Umno to the Lahad Datu intrusion.

Umno bullying & the Anwar factor

Tian, who is also a PKR vice president and one of Anwar's most trusted aides, was initially due to be charged under Section 500 of the Penal Code for criminal defamation. But at the 11th hour, the AG changed his mind and whipped out the Sedition Act, which according to Latheefa was "much more serious."

The charges will be preferred against to Tian around 9am on Thursday at the Jalan Duta Court Complex. Bristling at what they perceive to be Umno's "racial bullying", his friends, constituents and colleagues are already busy making plans to show their moral support at the court house tomorrow.

The decision to charge Tian comes at a time when there is mounting fear that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim might be arrested soon.

Speculation has been rife that Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Umno party wants Anwar to be put behind bars ahead of the country's 13th general election. It is believed they will try to frame Anwar for masterminding the Lahad Datu intrusion.

Members of Anwar's PKR party fear the worst may happen, based on information received from high-level sources as well as from reading a recent chain of "orchestrated" events they worry are aimed to create hate towards the 64-year-old leader.

Already, the Umno-owned media have been blaring headlines insinuating an alleged conspiracy between Anwar and the Sulu Sultan as well as Nur Misuari, the chairman of the MNLF. Anwar has slapped on RM200mil defamation lawsuits against Utusan and TV for suggesting his involvement or that the intruders had come to see him.

Given the tight spot that Najib and Umno now find themselves in due to their inability to cleanly and swiftly flush out the group of some 200 Sulu gunmen who had slipped past Malaysian security lines to invade a small village in Lahad Datu, Sabah despite their sending in the military, plus F18 and Hawk fighter jets, it is almost a certainty that they will try to pin the blame on Anwar and Tian.

Reformasi 10

The 50-year-old Tian is a first-term MP, an amiable person and very popular with the people. His face is easily recognizable to the man in the street and they usually rush up to ask to take a photo with him. Tian's full name is Chua Tian Chang and he hails from Malacca, the oldest of 4 siblings born to a Hakka rice trader and a Chinese school teacher.

Tian got involved with the Reformasi in 1999 following Mahathir's sacking of Anwar as the Deputy Prime Minister. He became famous when images of him sitting defiantly in front of a police water cannon truck were splashed across the global media during the height of the movement.

Along with six other activists, including Keadilan leaders; Youth leader Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Mohamed Azmin Ali and Dr Badrul Amin Baharun, Tian was arrested and as a result prevented from contesting in the 1999 general elections.

Further arrests were made on 10 April 2001 and those nabbed were subsequently charged and incarcerated under the Internal Security Act. They became known as the Reformasi 10. Tian was released after 2 years in the Kamunting Detention Centre.

Umno conspiracy or "mati katak": Is the use of the Sedition Act justified?

Tian was initially accused of linking the shooting of two policemen during the March 1 raid on the Sulu gunmen to Umno. His comments carried in the KeadilanDaily portal had alleged that the shootout in Kampung Tanduo was an Umno conspiracy to divert the attention of the people and frighten them.

However, Tian - who stands by his comments - has clarified that the remarks were unrelated to the shooting. According to him, when the KeadilanDaily report was published, the authorities had yet to confirm the raid or the fatalities.

Tian has also said by "conspiracy" he was alluding to the talk that had been buzzing around town at least 3 weeks before the raid took place that Najib was intentionally delaying the resolution of the intrusion because he wanted to capitalize on the issue to scare Sabah voters into backing the BN during the 13th general election. The Keadilandaily editor and reporter have already backed up Tian's claim in their statement recently given to the police.

Apart from linking Umno to the conspiracy, Tian was also accused by Umno bloggers of saying at a ceramah or political rally in Puchong that the policemen had died unnecessarily or "mati katak". The comment is considered as being insensitive and disrespectful to the sacrifices made by the policemen who were killed in the line of duty. Tian has again denied the accusation, showing proof that he was in Johor taking part in a fundraiser at the time the Umno bloggers had alleged he had uttered the "mati katak" comment.

"We will only know when the charge sheets are released exactly why Tian is being charged for Sedition and where is their proof. How is it seditious to accuse Umno of a political conspiracy or to label the deaths of policemen as"mati katak" - this is something for the Umno-BN government to convince the courts," said Latheefa.

Mat Sabu & Bukit Kepong - same Umno modus operandi to mow down the Opposition?

The current Umno assault against Tian is similar in many ways to the all-out media and political attacks made against PAS leader Mohamad Sabu in 2011.

Mat Sabu, who was then recently appointed the PAS Deputy President, had his remarks about the Buikt Kepong incident taken out of context. He was accused of being a traitor and charged for criminal defamation after allegedly saying the Communist guerrillas who attacked the police station in Bukit Kepong in 1950 were the true freedom fighters.

The move against Mat Sabu, who had beaten the Umno-friendly Nasharuddin Mat Isa for the PAS No. 2 spot, was seen by many as an Umno ploy to embarrass and tie him down with legal proceedings, thereby hindering his ability to expand his reach in the Islamist party.

Malaysia Chronicle