I was in the Kuala Lumpur court complex this morning where the
Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PKR
leaders Azmin Ali and Badrul Hisham were charged in connection with the
Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 which could result in their five-year
disqualification from elective office and disenfranchisement in losing
the civic right to stand for elective office whether as MP or State
Assembly member if fined over RM2,000.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be the biggest loser in
the prosecution of Anwar, Azmin and Badrul, the first case to be charged
under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA), as it will totally discredit his
various transformation programmes, in particular his Political
Transformation Programme.
Greater repression not reform
Pakatan
Rakyat MPs have warned in Parliament that Najib's promises to amend or
repeal undemocratic and draconian laws and provisions contain the seeds
of greater repression as the new laws and replacements provide for even
more repressive measures – as in the case of the prosecution of Anwar,
Azmin and Badrul under the PAA.
The prosecution also sends out a very clear message to Malaysians, and
in particular to the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians, regardless of
race, religion, region, class, gender or age who had gathered peacefully
in Kuala Lumpur on April 28, armed at most with salt and water bottles
to protect themselves from indiscriminate police shooting of tear gas
and chemically-laced water cannon, with the unmistakable message to the
Najib administration that they want clean elections for a clean
Malaysia.
Najib's message to them is one of utter contempt for their message to want to have clean elections and a clean Malaysia!
Najib should realise that he will have to pay a very heavy political
price in the forthcoming general elections with such arrogance of power
and contempt for the legitimate and ordinary aspirations of Malaysians
transcending race, religion, region, class, gender or age.
Not astute
Najib
should take note that the former Solicitor-General II who headed the
prosecution team against Anwar in the Sodomy II trial, Datuk Mohd Yusuf
Zainal Abiden, has joined Anwar's defence team headed by Karpal Singh.
If the Prime Minister cannot read and understand the implications of
Yusuf's joining the Anwar defence team, then he is not as politically
astute as he should be.
The prosecution of Anwar, Azmin and Badrul is in fact the latest in the
BN demonisation campaign against Bersih 3.0, polarising the ground
instead of starting a process of national healing. I would reiterate my
call to Najib to end the demonisation campaign of Bersih 3.0 to reagain
public confidence and credibility or be prepared to pay a heavy
political price in the forthcoming general elections.
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