Amid chaos and a slew of arrests that included seven assemblymen and one member of Parliarment, Pakatan Rakyat Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin launched a three-day Perak hunger strike to protest an unpopular power grab sprung by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The northwestern state has plunged into crisis ever since a much-condemned coup d’etat Najib hatched with the help of the Sultan in February.
On Tuesday, under the orders of his cousin and Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, police swooped in as early as 7am to confiscate materials, including a huge hot-air balloon beaing the words Bubarkan DUN or Dissolve the Assembly.
More than 10 FRU trucks converged at the Wisma DAP. Light strike force personnel parked themselves at tents erected outside the building in a bid to prevent the hunger strike from taking place.
However, Pakatan leaders refused to be cowed. Rising above the damage wrought by the rough police action, Nizar and team proceeded to launch the event indoors.
And even as they spoke, arrests were being carried out. So far, 14 people including eight elected representatives have been detained.
“It is the spirit that counts and that is something Najib can never take from the people nor the Pakatan,” said PKR strategic affairs director Tian Chua. “Hidup rakyat , Perak!”
An eternal shame, more and more Perak-born speak up for their state
Sadly for Malaysia, its recalcitrant and scandal-hit prime minister has refused to heed the signs that have poured in fast and furious these past months.
The situation has worsened until even local business leaders - who usually keep silent on political issues - have begun to openly chide him for clinging to power in a manner so obviously against the wishes of the people.
Retired engineer Koon Yew Yin, who helped found construction giant IJM Corp, has been among the first to openly denounce the death of democracy in his home-state, calling it an “eternal shame”.
Today, the 72-year old turned up at the hunger strike to give a RM200,000 cheque to Nizar.
“Don’t fear these blatant attempts to silence the people. Perakians and Malaysians, please have courage because in the end, right will always conquer might,” said Nizar.
“I also urge all Muslims to show solidarity by fasting together. We must not let Najib and his Umno party frighten us or prevent us from carrying out peaceful protests to express our feelings and wishes. Surveys show that 90 percent of the people want the dissolution of state assembly. People don’t want a menteri besar elected by a questionable court. They want a menteri besar elected by the people.”
Stop our country from becoming a police state
Perak, the second largest state in the peninsula, has large pockets of Chinese and Indian minorities.
It is nevertheless a predominantly Malay state and the fact that the community too wants the assembly to be dissolved and fresh election to be called is a telling sign of Najib’s weakening grip on his people.
No wonder then that the PM has resorted to brute police force to intimidate his countrymen, not just in Perak but elsewhere in the nation.
Sympathy protests and candlelight vigils have broken out in other states, with more than 150 arrests made so far.
The numbers are expected to rise as a frustrated population turn to the streets to condemn the Perak crisis and the suppression of their freedom of expression.
Among the elected reps detained today were popular Speaker V Sivakumar, who is also Tronoh ADUN, Malim Nawar ADUN Keshvinder Singh, Pasir Pinji ADUN Thomas Su, Jalong ADUN Leong Mee Meng, Menglembu ADUN Lim Pek Har, Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, Teja ADUN Chang Lih Kang, Simpang Pulai ADUN Chan Ming Kai.
Tweeted Pasir Pinji’s Thomas Su: “I have also been arrested for tweeting”.
Said veteran politician Chen Man Hin: “The people of Malaysia must wake up and see that their ideals of a free, democratic and multiracial society that is goverened by the rule of law does not degenerate into a police state. They must be on the alert and prevent their rights from being trampled upon.”
“The Pakatan will do its duty to protect the rights of the people, and if the Prime Minister does not respond to the call of change, we shall take the case of freedom of loving people of Malaysia to the United Nations, and call for them to send a fact finding mission to Malaysia.”
The northwestern state has plunged into crisis ever since a much-condemned coup d’etat Najib hatched with the help of the Sultan in February.
On Tuesday, under the orders of his cousin and Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, police swooped in as early as 7am to confiscate materials, including a huge hot-air balloon beaing the words Bubarkan DUN or Dissolve the Assembly.
More than 10 FRU trucks converged at the Wisma DAP. Light strike force personnel parked themselves at tents erected outside the building in a bid to prevent the hunger strike from taking place.
However, Pakatan leaders refused to be cowed. Rising above the damage wrought by the rough police action, Nizar and team proceeded to launch the event indoors.
And even as they spoke, arrests were being carried out. So far, 14 people including eight elected representatives have been detained.
“It is the spirit that counts and that is something Najib can never take from the people nor the Pakatan,” said PKR strategic affairs director Tian Chua. “Hidup rakyat , Perak!”
An eternal shame, more and more Perak-born speak up for their state
Sadly for Malaysia, its recalcitrant and scandal-hit prime minister has refused to heed the signs that have poured in fast and furious these past months.
The situation has worsened until even local business leaders - who usually keep silent on political issues - have begun to openly chide him for clinging to power in a manner so obviously against the wishes of the people.
Retired engineer Koon Yew Yin, who helped found construction giant IJM Corp, has been among the first to openly denounce the death of democracy in his home-state, calling it an “eternal shame”.
Today, the 72-year old turned up at the hunger strike to give a RM200,000 cheque to Nizar.
“Don’t fear these blatant attempts to silence the people. Perakians and Malaysians, please have courage because in the end, right will always conquer might,” said Nizar.
“I also urge all Muslims to show solidarity by fasting together. We must not let Najib and his Umno party frighten us or prevent us from carrying out peaceful protests to express our feelings and wishes. Surveys show that 90 percent of the people want the dissolution of state assembly. People don’t want a menteri besar elected by a questionable court. They want a menteri besar elected by the people.”
Stop our country from becoming a police state
Perak, the second largest state in the peninsula, has large pockets of Chinese and Indian minorities.
It is nevertheless a predominantly Malay state and the fact that the community too wants the assembly to be dissolved and fresh election to be called is a telling sign of Najib’s weakening grip on his people.
No wonder then that the PM has resorted to brute police force to intimidate his countrymen, not just in Perak but elsewhere in the nation.
Sympathy protests and candlelight vigils have broken out in other states, with more than 150 arrests made so far.
The numbers are expected to rise as a frustrated population turn to the streets to condemn the Perak crisis and the suppression of their freedom of expression.
Among the elected reps detained today were popular Speaker V Sivakumar, who is also Tronoh ADUN, Malim Nawar ADUN Keshvinder Singh, Pasir Pinji ADUN Thomas Su, Jalong ADUN Leong Mee Meng, Menglembu ADUN Lim Pek Har, Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, Teja ADUN Chang Lih Kang, Simpang Pulai ADUN Chan Ming Kai.
Tweeted Pasir Pinji’s Thomas Su: “I have also been arrested for tweeting”.
Said veteran politician Chen Man Hin: “The people of Malaysia must wake up and see that their ideals of a free, democratic and multiracial society that is goverened by the rule of law does not degenerate into a police state. They must be on the alert and prevent their rights from being trampled upon.”
“The Pakatan will do its duty to protect the rights of the people, and if the Prime Minister does not respond to the call of change, we shall take the case of freedom of loving people of Malaysia to the United Nations, and call for them to send a fact finding mission to Malaysia.”
Suara keadilan
26/05/09
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