Lip service paid to 'don't be afraid to criticise' credo

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

- British author Evelyn Beatrice Hall attributed the saying to Voltaire in her work ‘The Friends of Voltaire’.

Is the prime minister and his cabinet beyond reproach?

Can’t we as citizens, criticise them for their actions and words? Shouldn’t they be censured if they act out of line?

If the answers are affirmative, why are the police investigating two leaders of civil society groups for their criticism of Anwar Ibrahim?

As elected leaders, can they escape scrutiny for their wrongdoings, if any? Can they stop the public from discussing their deeds and words? They can turn a deaf ear to criticisms but surely they can’t control their mind and expressing their opinions.

Everything the prime minister does or says is debatable and this is a given.

Depending on which side you take, there will be those who support and those who oppose.

For more than 30 years, I have criticised and sometimes lambasted the government, ministers and even enforcement agencies on an array of issues.

Did not the prime minister make a grandstanding by declaring: “Due to the changing times and political climate, this government has decided that the media in this country should get freedom without censorship?”

Speaking in Ipoh at the 2023 National Journalists’ Day celebration in May, he added: “The media are responsible for shaping the public’s view. Journalists forge ideas, spark the spirit of independence and sow the seeds of enlightenment.”

A few days later, Anwar told religious scholars that they do not need to be afraid of criticising the government.

He also said the government was open to criticisms, so long as they were not slanderous. Why then is the state going after critics of the government?

Soft targets?

Activists Arun Dorasamy and S Shashi Kumar may not be journalists or religious leaders but they are community leaders who have the right to say their piece without harassment or hindrance.

(Front, from left) Arun Dorasamy and S Shashi Kumar

Why has the duo been singled out when many other individuals and groups have said the same thing? Were they “soft targets”?

I have watched both video clips and they were merely expressing their opinions on something the prime minister did or ought not to have done. Their arguments were premised on the latter.

Police have begun investigations for allegedly posting insulting statements against Anwar on Aug 18.

The case, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said, is still at the investigation stage and the public is advised not to make any speculations or share wrong information that could disrupt the process or cause disharmony in the community.

No one is sharing or has shared wrong information, sir. What constitutes “insulting” is subjective and we can argue until the cows come home.

Both merely reacted to a video showing Anwar teaching a man to recite the two “kalimah shahadah” (Islamic declaration of faith) phrases.

It was a spontaneous, perhaps angry reaction to that video. Surely, they cannot be faulted, investigated or prosecuted for it.

Under these circumstances, are the proclamations of “don’t be afraid to criticise” and “freedom of expression” meant to be used sporadically or when it is aimed at specific audiences?

Silencing voices

In the bad old days, one could be prevented from leaving the country just because he or she spoke out against the excesses in 1MDB. Are we going back to that?

Are newspaper licences going to be suspended and websites blocked because something unpalatable to the government has been written?

So much was promised when this government took office and so little has been delivered. This comes from the bottom of my heart.

Many are disillusioned over the promises made that have yet to be carried out and I count myself as one of them.

This is a genuine expression of dissatisfaction with the pace of the reforms which were made prior to the general election last November.

Now, the million-dollar question: Will I be investigated for expressing my opinion and criticising the state and its operatives who believe that their actions and words are beyond question? - Mkini

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R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.