Suaram tells British PM about Malaysia’s sad state of affairs

Suaram wants the British government to review its business ties with Malaysia and to urgently look into the allegations of electoral fraud, corruption and human rights abuse.

PETALING JAYA: Human rights watchdog Suaram has called on the British government to review a range of critical issues affecting Malaysian civil society before Britain could strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

Suaram made the call via a letter to the British Prime Minister David Cameron, Lord Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the British Government in view of the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) that would be held from Oct 29 and 31 in London for the first time.

Former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi founded WIEF in 2009 with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as the patron of the coming event.

Suaram had also in the letter brought to the attention of the addressees the burgeoning violence, electoral fraud, corruption and serious human rights abuses that had been ongoing under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib.

“We remained deeply concerned that while Najib promoted Malaysia and his administration as moderate and peace-loving on the world stage, basic human rights in Malaysia remained under serious threat,” the NGO said.

It also informed the British leaders that the BN government continued to employ harsh measures against any form of dissent, institutionalised religious inequality, bribery and gerrymandering in the electoral system with protests calling for electoral system reform brutally suppressed over the years.

Besides that, Malaysian government allowed detention without trial, ignored police brutality, compromised the rights of indigenous people and minority groups as well as staunchly curbing the freedom of expression, assembly and association, added the letter.

In the light of these issues, Suaram urged the British government to review its business ties with Malaysia and to urgently look into the allegations of electoral fraud, corruption and human rights abuse.

“The British government must rightly be concerned with the issues since there are more Malaysian entities and individuals than the British having invested in London properties in 2012,” it said, adding that Global Financial Integrity (GFI) reported in 2012 that Malaysia ranked third in global capital flight, and that the report also highlighted that Malaysia’s public-money theft was the most rampant in the world.

“Likewise, Cameron’s government should be vary of its recent Battersea Power dealings with Malaysia,” the NGO urged.

Suaram has also written a similar letter to US president Barack Obama, urging him to look into the sorry state of affairs in Malaysia under Najib’s government.