Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Bersih rally – chill down BN’s spine Posted: 21 Jun 2011 04:06 PM PDT
There is something about the July 9 rally that has left the Barisan Nasional government shivering in its pants. For the uninitiated, Bersih or the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections was established in 2006 by opposition parties and civil society organisations to pursue clean and fair elections. However, the leadership decided to transform the coalition into a purely civil society movement, doing away with political involvement, renaming it Bersih 2.0. Jeswan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today There is something about the July 9 rally to be held by election watchdog Bersih 2.0 that has left the Barisan Nasional (BN) government shivering in its pants. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his bandwagon of cronies to become jittery over what is planned to be a "Walk for Democracy". The squirming by BN, Perkasa and Umno Youth is self-explanatory – after all, it is this very government that has all along been squashing democracy in this country, manipulating election results, be they by-elections or general elections. So, the government is instead using business entities in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and also taxi operators to vehemently protest against the rally, claiming it would bring losses to their businesses. The many police reports lodged against the rally by Najib's cronies is another attempt at stifling the coalition's attempt to redeem the tainted image of the electoral system. Meanwhile, Perkasa, the ultra Malay wing, and Umno Youth have both announced that they too would hold their rallies simultaneously with the "Walk for Democracy", purportedly, as a form of damage control and to mitigate the harm Bersih 2.0 would do on July 9. For the uninitiated, Bersih or the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections was established in 2006 by opposition parties and civil society organisations to pursue clean and fair elections. However, the leadership decided to transform the coalition into a purely civil society movement, doing away with political involvement, renaming it Bersih 2.0. The coalition comprises 62 non-governmental organisations, with Empower (Selangor Community Consciousness Society) and Hakam (National Human Rights Society) taking the lead role. Bersih 2.0 chairperson, lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan, has assured the government that the rally's objective is to champion electoral reforms in a peaceful manner. The walk would end with the handing over of a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. But Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has warned the public against participating in rallies organised by both Bersih 2.0 and Perkasa. However, before jumping the gun, could Hishammuddin explain why Ambiga, the former Bar Council president, was barred from entering Sarawak to observe its state election held on April 16? She was among several activists who were denied entry into Sarawak and forced to return home from the airport, on orders of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud. Predictably, BN won the majority in Sarawak and Taib, president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) , was once again sworn in as chief minister, having ruled the state for 30 years, that too no less as a dictator. Prohibiting Ambiga from setting foot in Sarawak has left little room for BN to deny claims of corrupt practices. Otherwise, what valid reasons did Taib and BN have in sending Ambiga and the other activists back home? BN's skeletons no longer hidden The BN government under Najib is having sleepless nights after Bersih 2.0 announced the "Walk for Democracy" rally because BN's corrupt ways of running the country is now being questioned by the people. Najib's insecurity comes from knowing the threat Bersih 2.0 poses to BN in trying to wrestle back power from the opposition. The hard truth on how corruption is deeply embedded within BN as exposed by Bersih 2.0 has jeopardised Najib's chances at the ballot boxes. When BN won the Sarawak state election in April, revelations came about that it was achieved via money politics.
|
| Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:09 AM PDT By Terence Fernandez, The Sun DOING the graveyard shift in The Malay Mail where I started in this business 15 years ago, one had to be prepared for the "invitations" by enforcement bodies for pre-dawn raids. Usually, the reporters and photographers would be asked to congregate at a meeting point an hour before the operation, where we got to mingle with the top brass who would give us a list of dos and don'ts over coffee. Asking reporters to tag along on these operations does help the agencies with their image. It is a laudable effort to be transparent and open. Mind you, there have been many hair-raising moments as suspected illegals whizz past you half naked as immigration officers run after them or drug addicts stumble into you while escaping the police. Hilarious moments include a woman who entered a Black Maria after police busted a gambling party in Chow Kit and whacked her detained husband with her slippers, demanding a divorce there and then. On some occasions, pressmen end up being part of the raiding party like the time when a cameraman decided to trip a fleeing addict, and yours truly was asked to drive three underage girls (escorted by a policewoman) to the Jalan Bandar police station following a raid on an illegal racing syndicate. Most times in our presence (or because of it), the detainees are treated with a fair amount of regard for their basic human rights. Usually, they are told to squat while they are being processed. And the officers understandably speak to them in stern tones. Underage detainees are processed first so that they can be released into the custody of their parents, while those whose urine samples test positive for substance abuse are usually sent to a lock-up, awaiting their day in court. Now, one may be wondering why this trip down memory lane? This was prompted by the recent episode of two Singaporean women who have accused immigration officers of subjecting them to a nude squat; and the banding of female patrons of a nightclub in Penang following a raid. Truth be told, the women detained in these raids are subject to snide remarks and the ogling eyes of some of the enforcers and yes, even some in the media corps. Cameras would be flashing as soon as patrons are paraded. Somehow, there is this belief among some news people that a photograph of a handcuffed woman wearing a miniskirt squatting by the sidewalk will help sell papers. It does not matter that she could be underage or that she is an innocent patron who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, she is immediately "branded" as loose or a prostitute and herded with the rest into the waiting vans and trucks to be processed. Over the years, many editors, including those at theSun have emphasised on good taste and that one is innocent until proven otherwise. This means we must encourage better treatment of women detainees – be they foreign or Malaysian. Over the years, we have heard of horror stories involving women in custody – one foreigner alleged she was raped by a police officer in Ampang; another one was forced to relieve herself inside a truck when a policeman refused to allow her to use the bathroom; one was made to perform a nude squat at the Petaling Jaya police station; and the allegations of abuse at the detention camp for illegal immigrants have put this country in the same list as other nations notorious for human rights abuses. While I do not like to generalise, my observations of how detainees, especially women are being treated have made me to conclude that the recent cases at the Causeway and Penang are nothing more than blatant abuse of power. The authorities can come up with all the reasons in the world – and one sympathises with what they have to endure with the limited manpower and resources. But the fact remains that more can be done to ensure that people are treated with dignity. Such high-handed actions may be deemed necessary by officers on the ground but as far as the taxpayers are concerned, degrading a human being – especially one whose guilt is yet to be determined – is not how we want our ringgit to be spent. By all means enforce the law but when dealing with vulnerable members of society and womenfolk, there must be a proper standard operating procedure. Anyone who breaches it must be dealt with severely. The image of these agencies and the good men and women who work for them is dependent on it. One is told that there indeed is a list of dos and don'ts. Alas, in many cases it is thrown out in favour of efficiency, efficacy and the whims of some bad apples who want to assert their power over the vulnerable. As the government cannot afford anymore lawsuits, perhaps it is time to dust off these procedures and drum them into the heads of those who may one day hold a person's dignity in their hands. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan