'FLIP-FLOP' NAJIB GETS A TONGUE-LASHING: Is Sedition Act to be repealed or not?

Paktan Rakyat leaders slammed the "selective prosecution" of their colleagues Tian Chua, the MP for Batu, Tamrin Ghafar, the son of former deputy prime minister Ghafar Baba who recently joined PAS, as well as activists Haris Ibrahim, Safwan Anang and Hishammuddin Rais for purportedly inciting public unrest with speeches made at a forum on May 13, 2013.

The five men were charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 over speeches they made between 8.55pm and 11.15pm at the KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

Nurul Izzah, the PKR vice president and MP for Lembah Pantai, called on Malaysians to "jointly condemn" the arrests, warning that these were not only unjust but dangerous to the country's democracy and to the people's personal liberties.

"Prime Minister Najib Razak should be held responsible for reneging on his promise to repeal the Sedition Act which was made in 2012. We are talking about selective prosecution.using this archaic and obsolete law against the Opposition and dissenters," Nurul told a press conference outside the courtroom.

"You allow (some) who spread hatred like Perkasa leadership and former judges to escape unscathed. I ask all Malaysians to jointly condemn this act because today it might be Opposition leaders, tomorrow it might be you. From now, no Malaysian is safe from the abuse and misuse of this law.

"I ask PM Najib and of course Home Minister Zahid Hamidi to answer what is their stand now, especially after we all have gone through the dirtiest elections."

Hishammuddin Rais too, but arrests will not derail PR's Black 505 or 100,000 signatures campaign

All five pleaded not guilty. Four of them posted bail and were freed. However, Safwan, still a student leader, has decided to remain in remand as a sign of protest and to signal the student body's growing displeasure with the Najib administration's high-handedness.

The arrests also comes amid red-hot speculation of a ploy to undermine Najib's credibility and popularity by his own Umno colleagues. Many in Umno are unhappy with the results of the May 5 general election, where Umno-BN won only 133 seats compared to 140 previously and losing the popular vote for the first time since 1969. And this only after 'massive cheating', many Malaysians have opined.

To the Opposition, which has refused to concede defeat, the arrests are a scare tactic to derail their campaign to garner public support for re-elections in some 30 seats, which they claim were dubiously won. Opposition supremo Anwar Ibrahim has launched the hugely successful Black 505 rallies to protest the polls cheating and to demand the resignations of the Election Commission chairman and deputy chairman.

Anwar's PKR party has begun a campaign to get 100,000 Malaysians to lodge police reports against the EC for defrauding the nation with indelible ink that could be washed off within the hour, keeping the door open to multiple voting and vote rigging.

"It will not stop our our protest, our street protest, peaceful assemblies and  gatherings to fight the fraud in the general election," said PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub.

Complete fiction: Najib must make a stand - Is Sedition Act to be repealed or not?

According to Tian's lawyer, N Surendran, the charges preferred against his client were without basis and trumped up.

"It was not only taken out of context, it was complete fiction spun by the government and the IGP that there is an attempt to overthrow the government by force," said Surendran, mincing no words.

Another prominent lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who is also the Puchong MP, lambasted Najib for "selective prosecution" and demanded that he tell the people exactly what was now his stand on the controversial Sedition Act, which has long been used by Umno leaders to jail their political rivals.

"What we have here is selective prosecution under the Sedition Act. The PM has already said the Act will be repealed soon but we still see they are using it especially against the Opposition and also NGOs who are supportive of the Opposition," said Gobind.

"We do not see them taking action against the retired court of appeal judge and certain bloggers. The IGP has said they will be fair in what they do but it is quite obvious they are not. So as far as we are concerned, we will fight this to the end but we want the PM to make a stand. Is he going to repeal the Act or not?"

Malaysia Chronicle