Malaysia’s constant ‘blackouts’

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Jun 6, 2013

“I believe that the Najib government is rather weak and vulnerable. He cannot withstand both internal and external pressure for too long. Some sort of concession will have to be given.”

Kirsten Han, Waging Non-Violence

Less than a year after Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that he wouldrepeal the country’s Sedition Act — a law that curbs free speech — the state is using it to arrest and charge members and supporters of the opposition.

Still, this is doing little to deter activists, opposition supporters and citizens who continue to turn up in droves to protest against electoral fraud. Nine rallies — part of a series known as Blackout 505 — have already been organized, the last one having gone ahead on May 25 despite a government clampdown.

Malaysia’s political activists have been out in full force since the general election in early May. Amidst accusations of gerrymandering, the incumbent coalition Barisan Nasional held on to power despite having lost the popular vote. The result disappointed many who had hoped that this election would finally bring a change in government after 58 years of Barisan Nasional rule. Demonstrations erupted across the country as Malaysians protested over reports of electoral fraud and irregularities.

“It is clear that to have a clean and fair election process in the near future would be an uphill task after witnessing the amount of irregularities happening in certain states,” said first-time voter Adrian Phung. “[The election] made me realize that the general public is willing to go all out to ensure that the election process is clean and fair.”

This was the focus of a forum on May 13. The slogan “Selamatkan Demokrasi,” or “Save Democracy” in Bahasa Malaysia, called for people to stand up for democratic processes in Malaysia, and the event featured a long list of speeches from opposition members and pro-democracy activists.

It was one in a series of events criticizing the government, but this forum led to serious consequences. Two leaders from the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat, Tian Chua and Thamrin Ghaffar, were arrested. Also arrested were activists Haris Ibrahim and Adam Adli.

“Adam Adli was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act for allegedly uttering a seditious statement at a public forum where he called for Malaysians to go to the streets to protest against the election fraud,” said his lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri. If found guilty, he could find himself in jail for at least three years, and/or fined up to RM5,000 (approx. $1,648).

The use of the Sedition Act against Adam angered Malaysians, some of whom began to gather nightly outside the Jinjang Remand Center to hold candlelight vigils calling for his release. The day before Adam was due to be charged in court, the police moved in and arrested 18 people.

“We were given 10 minutes to finish our speeches and leave. However, as I recall, the police didn’t seem to keep their word and came after us before the 10 minutes,” said Adrian Wong, who was at the vigil that night. “The police shouted and caught people who refused to leave or were leaving slowly.”