Sunday, May 4, 2008

Are We A Police State ?

Hantu Laut

People who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

Let us go back to the year 1940, when Hitler's armies were driving the French and British forces back across France, and Britain faced imminent invasion.The British people heard the words of Winston Churchill:

"I have nothing to offer but blood,toil,tears and sweat"

Only a great leader would have dared to make such a promise - and the British people suddenly knew they had such a leader.

When Churchill turned to America for help he didn't spend hours to persuade Roosevelt, all he said was:

"Give us the tools, and we will finish the job"

He got the tools and finished Hitler off.

One would have thought after the bad outing at the recent polls the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would bring some meaningful changes to its administration for the benefits of the people.Many promises were made but none have been implemented. There seems to be certain forces in his government who were against reforms.They still wish to continue their old feudalistic and unrealistic way.

A government that believes in strong-arm tactic to protect themselves from public scrutiny would eventually self-destruct. History is kind to those who learned from it and damned to those who don't.

The sheer arrogance of those in power are shown by the recent police harassment of the infamous( through the government eyes) blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin on an article he wrote which the government deemed to be seditious.

What is sedition ? The Oxford Dictionary says "the use of words or actions that are intended to encourage people to oppose a government". The Webster Dictionary says "incitement of resistance to or of insurrection against lawful authority".Both gave the same meaning and we will examine whether the article is seditious.

Although I don't quite agree with some of Raja Petra's composition, I couldn't find any word, sentence or phrase in his article " Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell" inciting the people to go against the government. It was more directed at a few individuals associated with the murderers of the Mongolian model and the way investigation was conducted and the snail pace of the court case. If the article had offended or defamed anyone the rightful thing to do is to take civil action against Raja Petra and bring him to a court of law.Using the police to harass and intimidate him is most improper and makes Malaysia looks like a totalitarian nation and a police state.

It would be interesting to know which part of the article the police found to be seditious and whether such writing can bring down the government.

The police not being able to produce a police report they purported to have is inexcusable.It is within a person rights to know the allegations made against him by someone in a police report before he gives his statement, if he voluntarily wanted to. Why would a policeman and not the aggrieved party makes a police report against Raja Petra ?

The recent police action against a well-known blogger goes to show the government talk of reforms and freedom of expression are nothing more than lip service.We are back to square one and the old-fashioned way to settle a score.

Another very disquieting and absolutely ridiculous news is the proposal by Foreign Minister RaisYatim for local women to get consent from parents or family members before they can travel alone overseas.It says out of 119 cases of Malaysian women hauled up before foreign courts, 90% were linked to drug. I would say out of the 119 women 90% knew what they are doing, only 10% are gullible, stupid and innocent. Are you going to inconvenient millions of women in this country because of 119 women whoring themselves to drug traffickers.

Honorable Minister, put on your thinking cap and think again whether your proposal makes any sense.

I know one thing for sure come next elections you would have lost most of the women's votes.

What happened on 8th of March 2008 was only the beginning. If you don't get your act together now and repair the damaged bilge pump on your ship, it may not make the journey to the next polls.

Related article:
Women's groups express outrage

5 comments:

Monsterball said...

For all the talk and excitement on Badawi's reforms, NOTHING has actually happened, apart from a few cosmetic media-related steps.

The no-doubt politically motivated move against Raja Petra is just one example of a regressive move.

This is becoming a lot like Badawi's "Corridors" - all talk , nothing on the ground.

Yes, there are senior people in UMNO especially, who are actively sabotaging even these baby steps.

I've got news for Badawi and UMNO - time is running out. You don't have 3-5 years until the next elections to get these reforms implemented.. You have maybe until the end of the year, maximum....

The Barbarians are at the gates....

Anonymous said...

HL,

Seriously bro, did we expect anything different from UMNO?
I do not really "support" the "Kataking" of MPs, even though what we are talking here would mean that the PR will come "into power".
However, I (& God only knows how many Millions of Malaysians are fed-up with the BN (read: UMNO) Government & so it's time that the PR (& Wan Azizah, since if this happens any time soon, she will be PM!) be given a chance (they have alreday shown they mean business while the UMNOputras are still going around blaming everyone & promising the world & using the Police to do their dirty deeds)?
This recent episode with RPK only shows that they really are the same & they don't mean to change (either that or Pak Lah is beginning to play his hand & get rid of Najib!).
By the way, when is our Police going to start doing thier job (where are those missing children?!)? When is the crime rate really going to come down?!
When are they going to stop acting like the Personal "hit" squad of the UMNOputras?!

Anonymous said...

Just to refer to the part seditious act.
General meaning of the word wouldn't mean much.

With that kind of statement (...) by Raja Petra can mean anything.And if I'm in charge to determine whether Petra should be in the lock up or not-I would say you go home!

You see our police though some may have law degree, they are just not used to stand up by themselves or even to tell and explain what is right, what is proper, and so on.Not in our culture. One education on certain subjects even such as this means nothing when facing with authority.

Another, law phrases such as this, wouldn't have to be linguistically correct but rather what the law wants to mean. How many dare (even judges) in the past would come forward for expert opinions if not succumb to the higher authority. Bodek for promotion and money!are the rules of the day.

Anonymous said...

Yes Malaysia is a polis state. Just ask Anwar Ibrahim.

Anonymous said...

Oh, the consequence of it is definitely seditious! After what the police did to RPK, I really do feel going against the government!