Aliran is perturbed that the personal privacy and space of Bukit Lanjan Assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong has been violated in the most callous and vicious manner. Private space and personal privacy of any individual is a sacred thing and is a fundamental right of a person. This is a basic principle.
Nothing has changed – only the roles have been reversed. The Pakatan Rakyat government had 31 seats in the Perak State Assembly to the Barisan Nasional’s 28 seats. It had a majority of 3 seats.
This status which had served the Pakatan Rakyat to govern the state of Perak in a reasonable manner has been corrupted by the involvement of top leaders from the BN who have been instrumental in encouraging party hopping. This politics of corruption has sidelined the people’s mandate and has created the possibility of a change of government in the most dishonourable and despicable manner.
Aliran is alarmed that the duly elected legitimate government in Perak is being toppled through immoral party hopping thus frustrating the will of the people.
These party hoppers do not represent themselves but they are the representatives of the people. In the last election, these individuals were not elected solely on their individual merit. But the votes were mainly cast for the Pakatan Rakyat in rejecting the BN.
The Election Commission has no inherent powers to decide whether a vacancy has occurred in a constituency. It has no discretionary authority to override the notification of the Speaker of the Perak State Assembly declaring that the state seats of Changkat Jering and Behrang have fallen vacant following the resignations of the incumbents of these seats.
Reading of the recent death under police custody, we are bewildered and have to pose this question to our Prime Minister, “Will there be no end to this?”
Why are there so many deaths under police custody? And why do these corpses bear marks of police brutality? Do we have professional personnel or sadists interrogating suspects? Do we really get to the truth or force confessions out of these unfortunate suspects through coercion and brutal means?