Sedition Act: Umno, Najib turn Borneo states into fodder 10/12/2014 By Jimmy Adit OUTSPOKEN: Except for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, I believe no one knows what a fortified Sedition Act 1948 will be like, and what it means to him and Umno. What Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said about it protecting the sanctity of all religions being practised in the country cannot be the whole truth. Neither is it the whole truth when Sarawak Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs), Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman, said that retaining the Sedition Act 1948 is for the good of all. The fact is Fadillah and Daud are merely talking about their hopes. All Malaysians hope for the same. Unfortunately, we can only hope because only Najib knows what he wants out of the amendments he is seeking to carry out, while it is premature for anybody else, Fadillah and Daud included, to conclude the amendments will be as they think they will be. All those talks about wanting to protect all Malaysians and their religions, and maintain the peace and harmony are just rhetoric. The fact is even in its current state the Act seeks to protect every citizen and his religion, and maintain the harmony and stability of multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia. The problem is not in the Act but in its implementation and enforcement. Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said as much in Kuching on Dec 2: “Not only should the Act be maintained and strengthened but it is also important to enforce it holistically.” By inference, Shafie is saying the enforcement of the Act has not been done holistically. And he is right because the Act does seem to pick and choose its victims. It is for this reason that Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing does not believe any amendment to the Sedition Act 1948 will bring Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya any closer if it is only to silence the disgruntled few in the Borneo states. Masing strongly believes it will not address the problem of selective persecution, saying engagement is the better way to solve problems in the federation. It is also for this reason that Sabah State Reform Party (Star) chief Jeffrey Kitingan insists Putrajaya arrest “the traitors and culprits” behind the issuance of dubious ICs and MyKads to illegal immigrants. He also calls for the arrest of the ultra-Malays, extremists and racial bigots in the country whom he described as “more dangerous than East Malaysians asking for the restoration of their rights and the re-examination of the Malaysia Agreement”. For Jeffrey, Sabah and Sarawak nationalists and activists are not seeking secession but restoration of the legitimate rights, privileges and autonomy of the Borneo states that were taken away or eroded since 1963. Shafie has called on Malaysians to voice their concerns to Najib, saying: “I am confident that the prime minister is ready to hear what the people have to say.” Well and good, because if it is the weakness in enforcement that the prime minister seeks to address in his proposed amendments, no right-minded Malaysians will disagree. If Najib hasn’t thought of this, he better start listening and taking down notes because Malaysians do have a lot for him to consider before going ahead with his proposed amendments. Sarawakians and Sabahans like Masing and Jeffrey have every reason to feel threatened because Najib is rather specific about the object of his proposed amendments, which is to prosecute those who call for the separation of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia, besides to preserve the sanctity of Islam and other religions. The voice of East Malaysians will be effectively silenced in matters that Putrajaya can and want to connect to separation. When one voice is silenced, the only voice heard is that of the other. In this case, only Putrajaya’s. The Borneo states, which have been fighting against inequalities in many fronts vis-à-vis the federal government, will have been silenced once a fortified Sedition Act comes into being. As a Sarawakian, I can’t help being dismayed by this development not only because it will muff our voice by curtailing our freedom to express our opinion, disagreement and displeasure, but because the decision was made by Umno. The prime minister of Malaysia did not consult Malaysians on whether to retain the Sedition Act. The prime minister of Malaysia did not consult Sarawakians and Sabahans when he decided the Act will be amended to give it all the power it needs to keep Sarawakians and Sabahans in line. But the prime minister of Malaysia threw it to Umno to decide what to do with Sarawakians and Sabahans. Why? Because Umno General Assembly 2014 needed a rallying point. Najib chose to throw the fate of Malaysians from the Borneo states to his party members because he knew he could rally Umno members if they could be made to see a common foe. The Sedition Act afforded him that opportunity, and what could make better fodder than hapless Sarawakians and Sabahans who have been very vocal about being unfairly treated, and whose Christian populations have been the constant target of Malayan religious bigots and extremists. For Sarawakians and Sabahans, what is seditious and what isn’t in Najib’s new-look Sedition Act is no longer an issue. What is clear is that the Sedition Act that Najib at one time wanted to do away with will be fortified against them. But, congratulation to the prime minister. He has made Umno a strong party once again and this means their Putrajaya stay is assured. • JIMMY ADIT is a by-product of journalism’s school of hard knocks. A has-been politikus, today he relishes life in the fringes of politics.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 02:17:01 +0000
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