Charles Santiago

மனைவியின் மரணம்- மகனின் உடல் செயலிழப்பு. வேதனையின் விளிம்பில் சுப்ரமணியத்தின் குடும்பம்
Assembling Hypocrisy, the BN/UMNO Way
Bush and Blair Guilty of War Crimes
Speedy Tabling of Freedom of Assembly Bill: Bad Faith on Government!
D.R.42/2011 Rang Undang-Undang Perhimpunan Aman 2011
இந்தியர்களின் பொருளாதார நிலையை அறிந்து அரசாங்கம் இந்தியர்களுக்கு உதவ வேண்டும் – சார்ல்ஸ்
PEMBERITAHU PERTANYAAN DEWAN RAKYAT

மனைவியின் மரணம்- மகனின் உடல் செயலிழப்பு. வேதனையின் விளிம்பில் சுப்ரமணியத்தின் குடும்பம்

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 08:33 PM PST

மூலம் :- மக்கள் ஓசை

Assembling Hypocrisy, the BN/UMNO Way

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:57 PM PST

Prime Minister NajibTunRazak’s government is playing Russian Roulette. It is a practice of loading a bullet into one chamber of a revolver, spinning the cylinder and pulling the trigger while pointing at one’s own head.

Yes, it’s potentially dangerous. I am referring to both the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 and the government’s audacity.

In September, Najib scrapped Section 27 of the Police Act that requires a permit before holding rallies. It was, however, replaced with the more repressive Peaceful Assembly Bill with unacceptable restrictions on freedom of assembly, association and expression – the fundamental principles in a democracy.

The new Bill outlaws all street protests, forces the organizers to give a one-month notice to the police, regulates, restricts and imposes conditions on an assembly and prohibits anyone under the age of 15 from taking part.

Furthermore, protesters could be slapped with a RM20,000 fine while organizers who failed to give sufficient notice would be fined RM10,000. This is sheer madness.

But it also clearly reflects the political game plan of Najib’s government. It outlines their fear of losing power at the next general election. It caricatures a desperate government which would clamp down on civil liberties to hold on to power.

And most importantly, the new Bill demonstrates that we have rogue politicians ruling the country as the stifling provisions are a flagrant breach of the Federal Constitution, that allows for freedom of expression and does not stipulate any age barriers.

In a sharp twist, the proposed assembly law provides the police with even more power and makes it legitimate for the force to take any action against protesters. It also empowers the home minister with authority to make regulations for the enforcement of the provisions in the proposed law.

None of these provisions are in line with Najib’s promise to enable a more vibrant democratic space in the country. The tightening of the noose is very much like the law of the jungle disguised as justice. And in this case, passed off as one which is crucial to maintain national security.

Therefore, we could conclude that all this while Najib was pounding the propaganda drum.

It also spells more doom for the nation. I would not be surprised if the government comes up with more wrong head policies to clamp down on legitimate dissent. And our fear that a more oppressive law would be put in place to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA) does hold water.

We have seen the prime minister attend a concert, cycle in Penang, announce a so-called people-friendly budget and host a get together for Manchester United fans at his home. Newspapers and the alternative media have reported that Najib’s popularity rating was soaring.

After all these populist measures he turns around and plays his original self. And that too when he is seeking a fresh mandate through the next general election.

This raises crucial questions – would the government play extremely dirty at the polls? Has Najib endorsed the new Bill because he knows he has nothing to lose?

Whatever the analysis could be, we the rakyat simply cannot take the new assembly law sitting down. If we do not act now, it would send a signal to the government which would clearly translate to mean it could bulldoze into our democratic space and civil liberties.

I therefore concur with law expert Abdul Aziz Bari that this proposed Bill must be challenged in court, for it violates the Federal Constitution. This would send a strong message to the government that we would not allow the ruling elite to trample upon our rights.

Charles Santiago

Member of Parliament, Klang

Bush and Blair Guilty of War Crimes

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:54 PM PST

Not everyone lapped up every tough word written by former US president George Bush and his then counterpart Tony Blair, who vehemently defended their action of invading Iraq in their respective memoirs.

Some people bought it to read the extent of lies both the former heads of states would spew out to justify their flagrant abuse of law. Others thought the war, which saw the mass murder of 1.4 million Iraqi people, as an act of self-defense, following September 11.

Its however heartening to see that the same defense submitted by the “amicus curiae” was shot down by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal which held Bush and Blair guilty of genocide, crimes against peace and humanity.

It’s a landmark decision.

The tribunal was formed following the two-year in-depth investigation by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Foundation which also heard testimonials from war victims.

Further adjudication by the five judges is crucial as they recommended that the names of both the former leaders be entered into a war crimes register and findings of the tribunal be made available to member countries which are party to the Rome Statute.

A total of 119 states are members of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Now why is this verdict important, one may ask. It is simply because the propaganda used by the US and Britain ahead of the Iraq invasion in 2003 is now being reused to attack Iran. And that too over Iran’s nuclear program.

There is a growing consensus on Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. Iran has been facing mounting international pressure since the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, in a report, cited credible evidence which indicates that the Islamic nation has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.

It also said the nuclear development program had possible military dimensions to it.

These vague words which could be interpreted either way, depending on how much one trusts the super powers, were used to vouch that Iraq’s former leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The United States, under the leadership of Bush, even forged documents to say that Iraq was trying to purchase WMD.

As the years rolled by, it became apparent that the claims of Saddam’s WMD was highly suspect and facts were faked to support a political action.

Bush and Blair knew about the November 2002 UN Security Council Resolution which did not authorize military action against Iraq. Yet they launched the so-called war against terror.

In effect, the invasion was an unlawful act of aggression. Iraqis continue to die because of the action of two men, who abused their power.

We are aware that there could be a repeat of the danger. The US, Britain and Canada are planning to announce sanctions against Iraq’s oil and petrochemical industry.

All states have universal jurisdiction. As such, when Bush or Blair turns up in their land, countries have an obligation, under the international law, to commit them through the justice system.

The US and Britain must also moot an internal investigation against Bush and Blair, respectively, for war crimes.

Leaders of all nations must be aware that their actions would catch up with them sooner or later. And hopefully, the verdict of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal would act to prevent the US, Britain and Canada from acting irrationally against Iran.

Charles Santiago

Member of Parliament, Klang

Speedy Tabling of Freedom of Assembly Bill: Bad Faith on Government!

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:50 PM PST

SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA

Address: 433A, Jalan 5/46, Gasing Indah, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +6 03 7784 3525 Fax: +6 03 7784 3526

Email: suaram@suaram.net Web: www.suaram.net

Press Statement: 22 November 2011

Speedy Tabling of Freedom of Assembly Bill: Bad Faith on Government!

SUARAM views with disgust the Peaceful Assembly Bill tabled at Parliament today. The existing conditions for freedom of assembly are already poor but the proposed Bill worsens conditions for those who wish to exercise this constitutional right. The right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The Bill was tabled in an atmosphere of almost complete secrecy. The text of the proposed legislatives changes was not available for public viewing, thus eliminating any possible input from civil society groups.

The proposed Bill imposes multiple restrictions on all Malaysians from holding a peaceful assembly and gives arbitrary powers to the police and the Home Minister to restrict and control the conditions of any assembly.

SUARAM's initial main concerns of the Bill:

1. The Bill is discriminatory and restrictive in nature as Section 4 prohibits

a. Any street protests – is prohibited, as it is a form of assembly in motion, or procession that is already legally recognised in section 27 of the Police Act 1967.

b. non-citizens from participating in a peaceful assembly;

c. children from participating in a peaceful assembly, which violates the government's obligation to guarantee children the right to freedom of assembly as stated in Article 15 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC);

d. non-citizens and adults under the age of 21 from organising a peaceful assembly; and

2. Section 15 of the Bill legitimises wide and arbitrary powers to the police to restrict the right to freedom of assembly.

3. The Bill gives wide powers to the Home Ministers to amend the 1st Schedule on the prohibited places for assembly.

4. The requirement for notification of the rally of 30 days in advance is too long. The requirements are also too tedious, reducing the constitutional right to a bureaucratic process.

We are concerned about the repercussion of these proposed legislative changes on the work of Malaysian NGOs, Civil Societies, political parties and Citizens which would come under even more intense government scrutiny. The new proposed legislation while recognising the need for peaceful assembly merely acts to further limit this fundamental right.

SUARAM hereby urges the government to adopt the recommendations made by SUHAKAM in its 2001 special report on 'Freedom of Assembly' to the Parliament. In the report, SUHAKAM proposed several noteworthy recommendations based on the findings and best practices in other countries and through various discussions with the police and other interested parties.

SUARAM opposes the Bill and urge the government to withdraw the Bill immediately or organise an open consultation with civil society to review the objectives and provisions of this Bill. We also urge the government to remove restrictions under the Section 27A of Police Act and Penal Code and establish an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as per the recommendations made by the 2005 Royal Commission on Policing without further delay.

Released by,

Nalini.E

Program Manager

SUARAM