Sliding back on freedom of speech

A few days ago, it was reported that Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was questioned by the police over a media interview he gave back in March. The interview was on Al-Jazeera’s ‘UpFront’ programme hosted by Mehdi Hasan in which the former youth and sports minister was critical of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the Perikatan Nasional government.

According to the police, Syed Saddiq was being probed under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Syed Saddiq was the third MP investigated by the authorities for criticising the PN government. Before this, the police have also commenced investigations against Kuala Langat MP Dr Xavier Jayakumar and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh. The former for his criticism over the Parliamentary session in May and the latter for her queries regarding the government’s plan to address child marriages.

It is disturbing to see the shrinking democratic space within just over 100 days of the PN government’s administration. Even though no opposition MP has been arrested so far, some commentators feel that it is just a matter of time before the government launches a crackdown on dissent.

Rights group Article 19 recently issued a statement, urging the government to repeal or reform laws that restrict freedom of speech and expression. They referred to “a recent wave of criminal proceedings against civil society actors and others” and said that this “signals a worrying turn toward oppression by Malaysia’s new government”.

Meanwhile, Tanah Rata assemblyperson Chiong Yoke Kong also issued a statement recently, arguing that the Muhyiddin-Azmin (Ali) government “has become increasingly restless by taking a series of actions aimed at suppressing dissent and trampling freedom of expression”. Yoke Kong compared the current environment with that in the previous Pakatan Harapan government, arguing that “Harapan was willing to listen to public opinion and allowed civil organisations, social activists, and even political opponents to criticise the government in order to improve its governance”.

The government has yet to make clear its stand on human rights and fundamental liberties. They do not have a manifesto for voters to hold on to and for the people to glean their positions when it comes to human rights issues. Will they continue Harapan’s promise to repeal certain laws? Are they committed to reforms when it comes to laws curtailing freedoms? We do not know.

The political parties that make up the PN government are not those that advocate for rights or liberties. As such, we can expect that this government, too, would not put much premium on such matters. After all, this is a government premised on ‘Malay-Muslim’ unity; human rights would not be the top priority.

Sadly, we seem to be sliding back to the days when dissent is not tolerated, and the state apparatus is being used to quell criticisms. The future in this regard looks bleak, and it is time that we brace ourselves for the coming days and months.  - Mkini