Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 13.9.2014.
By reneging on his thrice promised repeal of the Sedition Act, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has proven that he is both a hostage to extremists and a leader who cannot keep his word but also spell the end of 1Malaysia and Coalition of Moderates. Najib’s statement yesterday backtracking from his earlier firm commitments to repeal the Sedition Act first made in 2012 is a dismal gift on the eve of celebrating our 51st Malaysia Day annivesary.
Najib had first made this pledge two years ago in a speech at a dinner for the Attorney-General’s Chambers, repeated it last year in an interview with BBC World News programme on July 2, 2013 and repeated it again on September 6, 2014. Clearly this flip flop by Najib shows that he can not stand up to extremists who want an elected dictatorship with authoritarian powers to violate basic human rights.
By being a hostage to extremists, Najib should admit that his Coalition of Moderates and 1Malaysia is doomed to failure. No wonder Najib recently decided to set up a new personal website to distance himself from his earlier site at www.1malaysia.com.my, which is tarnished with a string of broken promises.
The series of sedition charges against PR leaders and even a law professor who has no political links coupled with the latest investigations against a lawyer Edmund Bon, indicates selective prosecution by the Attorney-General. DAP strongly condemns such actions as politically motivated because no stern action is taken against Perkasa or other UMNO leaders for making inflammatory statements against non-Malays and non-Muslims, including Perkasa threatening to burn the Malay version of the Bible.
If Azmi Sharom, a law professor who was the Deputy Dean of the Law Faculty of University Malaya, the top law school in the country, can be charged for sedition for giving his academic views, there is no longer any hope for respect of rule of law in Malaysia. At the same time, fundamental problems of high debt and government budgetary deficit as well as corruption are not addressed.
Our Federal government debt has risen by 100% from RM266 billion at end 2007 to RM542 billion at end 2014 whilst our personal household debt is the second highest in Asia at 87% of GDP, making cost of living an increasingly serious problem for low-income groups. Even former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad expressed concern about 1 MDB financial exploits as it is solely funded by debt estimated at RM 38 billion and 1 MDB’s operating income is not even sufficient to finance interest payments.
Clearly, Malaysians celebrates a gloomy Malaysia Day with our rights and feelings being trampled upon by extremists and voices of moderation being selectively prosecuted as well as dimming hopes of a brighter future that allows everyone to live with respect and dignity.
—–Mandarin Version —-