Suaram refers to the news report yesterday of a farmer charged with allegedly circulating WhatsApp messages surrounding the Forest City casino discussions.
This is a witch hunt with the sole aim of cracking down on discourse that tarnishes the government’s reputation in the eyes of the public.
Through such systematic targeting of members of the public, it could not be more blatant that the government has completely failed in upholding not only the fundamental right to freedom of expression but also the supreme law of the land, the Federal Constitution, which enshrines this fundamental right.
In the process, the state incites further self-censorship and fear among the greater populace, effectively curtailing public participation in nation-building.
While police resources that are already limited are wasted, we also see streaks of authoritarian policing at play. The police are deployed by the state to serve its interests instead of those of the public through the arbitrary application of draconian laws for which it cannot be held accountable.
Such a systematic crackdown is unfortunately not new. In fact, this tactic was employed by the Perikatan Nasional administration to clamp down on public dissent: both the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act were used to investigate 14 activists for their plans to organise the #Lawan rally in 2021.
Freedom of expression has thus regressed to levels seen during the pandemic. This is also highly concerning, as it can set a precedent for increasingly draconian measures by the state against the public in the name of “restoring order” or “upholding truth”.
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We are a democratic nation, not an authoritarian regime. Stop this farcical crackdown immediately and we repeat, repeal the Sedition Act. – Suaram
Sevan Doraisamy is the executive director of Suaram
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