Abdullah  should explain whether Malaysia has become a police state where police could take the law into their own hands to make false arrests of Opposition MPs and activists  to harass the Opposition from carrying out legitimate constitutional and political activities


Media Conference Statement (2) 
- launching of the second phase of the “No 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957”  People’s Awareness Campaign at Rifle Range, Bukit Bendera 
by Lim Kit Siang

(Penang, Saturday): DAP condemns another case of the police taking the law into their own hands to make false, wrongful and unlawful arrests of DAP MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan and twelve others this morning over the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign in Bentong wet market, where they were distributing the campaign leaflet and selling the “No to 929” booklet.  

The Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi  should explain whether Malaysia has become a police state where police could take the law into their own hands to make false arrests of Opposition MPs and activists  to harass the Opposition from carrying out legitimate constitutional and political activities. 

The arrest of Fong and 12 others, including two children and seven women, with two handcuffed, is a gross abuse of police powers where the police “arrest first and find the offence later” – as the 13 were only  told  more than three hours after their arrest that the police were acting under Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948 -   which can only besmirch Malaysia’s good name and international reputation as a country with trigger-happy police with no qualms in violating human rights as well as the rule of law.  

The DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957”  People’s Awareness Campaign is a not a seditious but a nationalistic and patriotic campaign as its objective is to defend and uphold the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the “social contract” and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a democratic, secular, multi-religious, tolerant and progressive nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic State – whether of the UMNO or PAS concept. 

If the “No to 929” Campaign is seditious, then the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the “social contract” and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Islam is the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic State are seditious documents – and Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn, who had at one time or another as the first three Prime Ministers of the country reiterated that Malaysia is a secular state and should not be turned into an Islamic State, had all committed the offence of sedition!  

This clearly cannot be the case – and this is why I have not been charged under the Sedition Act although I had twice been arrested by the police, the first time in Ipoh on June 5 and the second time in Port Dickson on July 21, under the Sedition Act 1948 in connection with the “No to 929” campaign.

The Attorney-General Datuk Ghani Patail should make clear to the Police that it is no offence, let alone sedition, to say “No to 929” or “No to Islamic State’”, as this is the very fundamental constitutional principle on which Malaysia was founded 44 years ago – and advise the police that they have embarked on a most unlawful course of false and wrongful arrests.

The DAP Central Executive Committee will decide next week whether to institute legal proceedings against the police for the series for false, wrongful and unlawful arrests of DAP leaders and activists in connection with the “No to 929” campaign.

The leadership of Deputy Prime Minister  Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has come under great test, as the police comes under his jurisdiction as Home Minister. If the police are allowed to conduct such false, wrongful and unlawful arrests with impunity, given the licence to  harass Malaysians from carrying out legitimate constitutional political activities, Malaysians have reasons to be worried about his leadership of the country when he takes over as the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia when Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad steps down from office in October next year.

I would urge Abdullah to exercise leadership and restrain the police by putting an immediate  stop to the police abuses of power, the  series of false, wrongful and unlawful arrests and the harassment of the DAP’s legitimate  “No to 929” campaign.

(4/8/2002)


*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman