Prosecuted for pedestrian English…methinks


-Dr Azmi Sharom
Rakyat Times
30 March 2015

The IGP, Khalid Abu Bakar, (probably the most Twitter-savvy chief of police in the world) had this to say recently (as reported in an online news portal):

“We respected freedom of expression and speech but we will not tolerate the freedom to incite and disrespected the system under the federal constitution.”

The IGP also said, “This we cannot compromise. Any gathering or activities that is seditious we will take action on.”

I guess this is why the police have been on an arrest frenzy, locking up opposition politicians and activists. Anyway, I want to say ‘thank you’ to the IGP. Since he says he respects freedom of expression, I am sure he won’t mind me exercising my freedom of expression to ask him (in a non-inciting fashion) a few questions….

Alright then – my questions are as follows:

Exactly what were the people arrested inciting? Violence? If so, where is the evidence?

I thought all they were doing was trying to organise a peaceful assembly.

Is that seditious?

If assembling and marching peaceably are not seditious, then what exactly was said and done that is seditious? Can our IGP share with us? If he doesn’t have the time, perhaps he can just tweet what it was that is so seditious.

And why do the police treat opposition politicians and activists so differently from BN politicians and supporters who say blatantly racist things, have ‘illegal’ assemblies and threaten people with actual harm? Is there an SOP for this sort of difference in treatment?

And finally, I just love the way the IGP says “we respect human rights”, but in the same breath says they will clamp down against these without any sort of real justification.

Hello! Our rights are ours. We don’t have to justify them. The authorities with the power, however, have to justify any action taken which infringes upon our rights. And the IGP has done no such thing. Vague statements about incitement and sedition do not cut it.

I sure hope he reads the Rakyat Times. Can someone tweet him this article, please?

Cheers!

  1. #1 by undertaker888 on Wednesday, 1 April 2015 - 7:22 pm

    I went to the pet shop the other day. With a bit of corruption like biscuits, the dogs in the cages would wag their tails frenzily, spin around and eagerly waiting to get a piece of it.

    It is amazing how these dogs would behave for a piece of biscuits.

  2. #2 by bruno on Wednesday, 1 April 2015 - 7:57 pm

    Methinks that the IGP have tons of problems differentiating between a donkey and a mule.

  3. #3 by bruno on Wednesday, 1 April 2015 - 8:04 pm

    Even rocket scientists have migranes trying to figure it out,if there is any such thing as two sets of laws existing in Malaysia.Have the IGP figure it out yet?

  4. #4 by bangkoklane on Wednesday, 1 April 2015 - 10:14 pm

    breaking news.. new IGP announced by PM.

    April Fool!!!

  5. #5 by Noble House on Thursday, 2 April 2015 - 12:50 am

    Power in the wrong hands is never more dangerous. Can you imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong?

  6. #6 by boh-liao on Thursday, 2 April 2015 - 5:48 pm

    Some1 has decided 2 b d prosecutor, judge, n jury
    Who can say what
    What is seditious n what is not seditious

    Wonder if d IGP considers MMK’s “Who ordered killing of Altantuya?” n anti-Najib rant “Nobody trusts Najib” seditious

You must be logged in to post a comment.