Rights group Suaram has called for an immediate end to what it described as a crackdown on freedom of expression in the country.
In a statement, Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy responded to news reports on a sedition charge against a farmer in Butterworth, Penang, saying, “We are a democratic nation, not an authoritarian regime.
“Stop this farcical crackdown immediately and we repeat, repeal the Sedition Act.”
Sevan (above) described the current situation as an ongoing “witch hunt” with the sole aim of cracking down on discourse that tarnishes the government’s reputation in the eyes of the public.
“Through such systematic targeting of members of the public, it could not be more blatant that the government has completely failed in upholding not only the fundamental right to freedom of expression but also the supreme law of the land, the Federal Constitution, that enshrines this fundamental right.
“In the process of doing so, the state incites further self-censorship and fear among the greater populace, effectively curtailing public participation in nation-building,” said Sevan.
Yesterday, Bernama reported that paddy farmer Azman Md Yusof, 46, had pleaded not guilty before Butterworth Sessions Court judge Noor Sini Yusof, for a charge under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948.
It is understood the alleged seditious remark was made in connection to earlier speculations on a purported casino project in Forest City, Johor.
Waste of police resources
Commenting further, Sevan said such investigations continue to waste already limited police resources.
“We also see streaks of authoritarian policing at play, whereby the state deploys the police to serve their interests instead of those of the public, via arbitrary application of draconian laws for which they could not be held accountable.
“Such systematic crackdown is unfortunately not new.
“The Perikatan Nasional administration employed this tactic to clamp down on public dissent - both the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act were used to investigate 14 activists for their plans to organise the #Lawan rally in 2021,” he recalled.
Given the recent rise of related investigations and charges, Sevan noted that freedom of expression in Malaysia has regressed to levels seen during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that the situation raised serious concerns for increasingly draconian measures by the state against the public in the name of “restoring order” or “upholding truth”.- Mkini
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