DAP to ask for meeting with Norian Mai for reasons for repeated police harassment of “No to 929” campaign, violations of human rights and criminalisation of legitimate constitutional political activities


Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang

(Petaling Jaya, Sunday): DAP deplores the fourth police arrests of DAP leaders and activists in connection with the DAP’s “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign, this time by the Klang police at the Pandamaram new village market this morning.  

The six DAP national and branch  leaders arrested for over three hours this morning included DAP National Publicity Secretary, Ronnie Liu, Klang DAPSY Chairman Chong Kim Seng, former Selangor DAP State Treasurer Saw Kim Leng and three others, one of whom is a DAP Wanita activist. 

For the fourth time, the police resorted to “arrest first, find the offence later” when they arrested Ronnie Liu and five others under the Sedition Act, which is a gross abuse of police powers and  blatant violation of human rights,  sending out the disturbing message of the total lack of discipline and disrespect for the rule of law on the part of the police.

I will ask  for a  meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri  Norian Mai to find out the  reasons for repeated police harassment of DAP’s  “No to 929” campaign, violations of human rights and criminalisation of legitimate constitutional political activities. 

It has been said that “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action” and Norian Mai should tell the DAP and Malaysians what the police meant by their fourth police arrests in connection with the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” campaign – when in the three previous arrests, myself  in Ipoh on June 5,  myself and five others in Port Dickson on July 21, DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan and 11 others in  Bentong on August 4, no charges under the Sedition Act 1948 had been made against anyone. 

Norian Mai should explain why they are harassing the DAP’s “No to 929 campaign” when it is neither seditious nor subversive, but a patriotic and nationalist campaign to defend and uphold 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 – whether UMNO Islamic State or PAS Islamic State. 

Norian Mai should explain whether the police is committed to defending the Malaysian Constitution, as clearly enunciated by the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn and upheld by the highest court of the land on the fundamental nation-building principle that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state, or is the Royal Malaysian Police Force under Norian Mai  now opposed to the Federal Constitution. 

It is also time for Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman to make clear the Suhakam stand on  the flagrant police human rights violations in the repeated harassment  and criminalisation of the DAP’s legitimate constitutional political activities – and explain what steps or actions it has taken to protect and promote human rights in this regard.   

(18/8/2002)


*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman