Malaysians should speak up to oppose Prime Minister Najib Razak’s "plan to turn Malaysia into a national prison", which is more fitting for a communist country, said Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang.
"Is Malaysia an open and democratic society or has it regressed to become an autocratic and closed society like the North Korean communist regime?" asked Lim.
He said the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) needs to give cabinet a lesson on the country's laws, in light of the travel ban on certain individuals the government claims to have violated the federal constitution.
"Suhakam should give the entire cabinet a primer on human and constitutional rights of Malaysians, as the cabinet seems to be one of the bodies in the country which is woefully ignorant about the Malaysian constitution and human rights," said Lim in a statement.
Yesterday Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed rebutted reports that Immigration has a policy to bar critics of the government, saying they only bar those who have allegedly violated the federal constitution.
Lawyer Syahredzan Johan today pointed out no such laws prevent a valid passport holder from leaving the country, unless an offence has been proven in court.
Lim meanwhile slammed the cabinet for remaining silent on the policy.
"Yesterday, I asked whether there will be any minister who will resign on a matter of principle if the cabinet today is not prepared to countermand the arbitrary and undemocratic ban on Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah and DAP national publicity secretary and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua from free travel overseas.
"I have not heard of any news that any minister or deputy minister is resigning his or her post in protest against such lurch towards undemocratic and arbitrary practices, which have so far been the hallmark of communist and closed societies, representing a major and fundamental difference with democratic and open societies," said the DAP veteran.
Earlier this week Bersih Chaiperson Maria Chin found herself barred from travelling to South Korea to receive an international human rights award, and complained the government had not furnished her a valid explanation.
Source from MKini
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