- Associated Press
- Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a rally in Seremban Malaysia on Wednesday, Jan. 4, five days before a verdict on his sodomy trial is expected.
Malaysia’s cops are stealing a page from dissident movements across the globe, and turning to social media to keep troubles from spreading in their own backyard.
After activists in the Middle East and elsewhere used Facebook and other websites to rally countrymen against undemocratic regimes in recent years, the Royal Malaysia Police are now using their own official Facebook and Twitter pages – typically filled with traffic warnings and information on crime rates – to hopefully prevent a planned rally in support of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Jan. 9, when the verdict on his two-year sodomy trial is expected.
Sharing photos and videos of past riots – including the raucous London demonstrations that shook Britain last August – the Malaysian police warned that peaceful assemblies can easily devolve into chaos, and “should be a lesson” to Malaysians.
With a title of “Is this what you want?” the Royal Malaysia Police Facebook page includes a report from the ABC network in the U.S. of the London riots showing buildings being torched and smashed, and protestors overwhelmed by police in parts of central London.
“Peaceful assemblies that have become riots overseas should be a lesson to us if we want to pursue freedom and the right to self-expression,” said the caption accompanying the video.
The Malaysian police are also using their Facebook pages to share police videos of student demonstrations earlier this week, in which students from a university in northern Perak gathered to demand greater academic freedom. These videos were originally shared through the police’s official YouTube page.
The police also interviewed a shopkeeper – only identified as ‘Mr. Kenny’ – who, according to the site, was seeking to persuade anyone planning to rally on Jan. 9 against to refrain from protest, claiming that previous grassroots movements and rallies have affected his business.
Unlike some failed efforts at engagement between the police and citizens in some parts of the world, the Malaysian police seem to have been surprisingly successful at their social media efforts. Their Facebook page, which usually offers more practical information like updates on police activities, crime rates, safety tips and traffic reports, has more than 100,000 likes and is significantly more popular than many other government-led Facebook campaigns. The government’s Twitter account, launched in September last year, has almost 10,000 followers.
Most of the comments on the videos posted by the Malaysian police agreed with the sentiments behind them. Many even praised the police for “cleaning what is dirty” and “keeping the peace” in the country.
The issue of public protests in Malaysia has long been a testy one, particularly after last year’s “Bersih” (meaning clean in English) rally, in which police used water cannons and tear gas to break up a 20,000-strong protest demanding free and fair elections. In a move to placate critics, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak promised to scrap the country’s feared Internal Security Act and instituted new protest laws, which still drew criticism from those arguing they continued to limit dissent.
Those planning to rally in support of Mr. Anwar – dubbed the “901 rally” – insist that the event will be peaceful. They have indicated their willingness to work together with the police, though authorities and non-governmental organizations remain fearful that if the rally turns violent, scenes similar to last year’s “Bersih” rallies will cause chaos in the nation’s capital.
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