Malaysia's Politic

After gaining freedom from British colonist, Malaysia has never embrace equality, liberty and justice for all its citizens ever since the political power is wielded solely on just one party- umno dominance BN government which continue to practice the "divide and rule" policy of the former colonial master.

Series of ISA arrests of popular blogger, journalist and opposition member of representative recently is unusual but not unheard of in Malaysia political history; which aims at appealing to the emotion of Malaysia’s majority in the mid of political uncertainty and shifting landscape after recent election. The thought of losing grip of federal government authority can be horrendous and painful after half a century stranglehold of that power; it signals racist coalition ruling elite’ desperate attempt to contain the changing party allegiance and uses whatever means necessary to stay in power to protect the deeply entrenched personal and family members financial interests attached to it.

In the quest of political domination and absolute political power, race and religion often entangled in the complex web of Malaysia political scene, ruling elite never tire of exploiting the R&R card to portray itself as the sole defender of both to the majority, effectively hijack these personal issues during high stake political campaign most of the times. The same scenario has replayed itself during recent by-election; renew sodomy charges of former deputy prime minister, and of malicious allegation on ISA detainees for insulting religion and race; to posing threat on national security and numeral silly accusations of ill thought out plots.

The same ill that managed to manifest itself again into national political stage reassured majority of Malaysians after half a century of independence; the values of equality, fair play, justice, personal freedom and respect of basic human and individual right by government are just a wishful thinking.

The ruling elite often resorts to various political tools in keeping their political power in placed where challengers can be crushed and subjected to inhumane detention and treatment under ISA and Seditious Act. The enforcer for these little known draconian acts is the highly politicized police, whose secretive" Special Branch" has morphed from fighting criminals to keeping ruling elites in power, the branch held 7000 of Malaysia's 93,000 police, however; according to security expert, the figure is much higher. The special branch wields Internal Security Act's power which allows suspects to be held for 60 days without court order at its Bukit Aman headquarter or any undisclosed location in Kuala Lumpur, where interrogator can put detainees through prolong questioning, sleep deprivation, disorientation and series of mental manipulative techniques. During period of illegal incarceration, detainees are not only deny individual freedom of movement and choice, they are subjected to intimidating personnel and highly pressured environment like cold detention cell, insufficient and often inferior meals design to break down the detainees; then they can be locked away without trial for renewable two years terms.

Last week the Malay-commanded Special Branch arrested a member of parliament, after an umno owned Malay language newspaper ran spurious reports alleging that she had tried to stop a mosque broadcasting the morning call to prayer (azan), authority arrested her under a "malicious" charge of "insulting Islam" which pose a threat to the national security with intention of raising public anger against both detainees in this Muslims majority country.

The selective persecution with the use of ISA was lawlessness at its height and political at its best. Civilian has become the intended target instead of militant /terrorist. The police approach to detain someone first before finishing their investigations is against the law, basic human rights and contrary to the stand Malaysia has long undertaken in United Nations, recent reactionary moves by government not only undermined many years of good record Malaysia has earned internationally, it also make a mockery of democracy and the meaning of justice.






September 23th. 2008, RPK is sent to Kamunting Detention Center in Taiping, Perak to begin his two-year detention under the Internal Security Act. Hamid Albar signed the orders to send RPK to Kamunting last night.

The recent article of RPK title " let send the murderer to hell" make some startling and shocking revelation implicating some very high level umno government official to the murder case has strengthen the ruling elite determination to silent him under the terror act with a fictitious charge of "insulting Islam", that presumably pose a threat to national security.

statement from RPK about his future:

Well, then see you maybe in six or seven years time, because for sure Najib will not release me in 2010 when he becomes Prime Minister. What he would do, instead, would be to rollover my two-year detention another two years, and another two years, and another two years, until I am too old to think and write anymore.




Famous quote:
Even in those dangerous times of September 1941, Lord Atkin whose lone dissenting judgment in Liversidge v Anderson stated:

"I view with apprehension the attitude of judge who, on a mere question of construction, when face with face with claims involving the liberty of the subject, show themselves more executive minded that the executive.

In England, amidst country the clash of arms the laws are not silent. They may be changed, but they speak the same language in war as in peace. It has always been one of the pillars of freedom, one of the principles of liberty for which, on recent authority, we are now fighting, that judges are no respecters of persons, and stand between the subject and any attempted encroachments on his liberty by the executive, alert to see that any coercive action is justified in law.

I protest , even if i do it alone, against a strained construction put upon words, with the effect of giving an uncontrolled power of imprisonment to the minister. To recapitulate the words have only one meaning, the meaning in statements of the common law and in statues."

Lord Atkin written judgment shows how liberty is valued and can only come from a nation with a tradition of equal justice for all and great citizenry with strong sense of fair play with an independence judiciary that respect the right of individual and rule of law. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, such sense of fair play is non-existence; not only the judiciary is subservient to the executive branch, unquestioned conformity and allegiance to the ruling elite among appointees is usual .