Malaysia lawyers march against Sedition Act

By Sumisha Naidu. Posted on 16 Oct 2014 18:10 by Channel NewsAsia.

Suited up, under the blazing sun, hundreds of Malaysia's lawyers and their supporters marched on Parliament on Thursday (Oct 16) in a rare demonstration of discontent against the nation's Sedition Act.

Chris Leong, President of Malaysian Bar Council, said: "The Sedition Act is repugnant because the Sedition Act seeks to compress and restrict democratic space. It punishes speech. It punishes expression of thought by thinking Malaysians."

This was only the fourth time in the Malaysian Bar Council's more than 60-year history that it has staged a demonstration such as the one on Thursday. But the Council said the protest was necessary to pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration to fulfil its promise. Mr Najib had pledged to repeal the Act two years ago - an Act the British had introduced in the 1940s to curb dissent against colonial rule.

But since March last year, the Council believes at least 30 people have been investigated or charged for sedition. One of them was student activist Adam Adli, who has been sentenced to a year in prison for allegedly seditious comments he made during a talk about the results of Malaysia's 13th general elections.

"The way I look at it was that I didn't really create any unrest among the people," he told Channel NewsAsia. "What I did was I create unrest among the government, those in charge in the office, and that's why I was charged and convicted."

Aidila Razak, a journalist, said: "My colleague Susan Loone, she's also assistant editor at Malaysiakini, she heads the northern bureau. She's been arrested for actually just doing her job, and I think that's really repulsive. It has nothing to do with sedition, she was just reporting what other people had said."

Dubbed the "Walk for Peace and Freedom", representatives from the Bar Council had hoped to submit a memorandum to Mr Najib. But they were just as happy that a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Mah Siew Keong, had received them. "We had a fruitful discussion and he had assured us that all of [the lawyers'] views contained in a memorandum addressed to the prime minister will be conveyed to the prime minister," he said.

The Malaysian government has said it will consider abolishing the Sedition Act when its intended replacement, the National Harmony Bill, is ready. But analysts suspect the prime minister may renege on his pledge to repeal the Act altogether.

There are many strong advocates for the Act within Mr Najib's party. And they argue the Act is to safeguard national unity. "Walk against sedition has not made an impact because most Malaysians want safeguards against racially/religiously offensive speech," tweeted Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

Tricia Yeoh, Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, said: "There would be some quarters who believe the Sedition Act should either be abolished, or maybe tempered down, so that it's not so harsh. But that would receive a huge backlash from other side of the ruling party, which believes that there should be a stronger reaction from the government when there are criticisms being made."

Still, the Malaysian Bar Council is undeterred. It says the walk is just the beginning of a long and sustained campaign, one that it hopes will lead to the revoking of the Sedition Act once and for all.

Link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-lawyers-march/1418398.html

By Shannon Teoh. Published by The Straits Times on 16 Oct 2014.

NEARLY 500 Malaysian lawyers braved the noon day heat in their suits and ties to protest this year's "sedition blitz" outside Parliament building on Thursday morning, saying they were dutybound to fight an unjust law.

Over 20 people, including academics, lawmakers and students, have been hauled up for questionable offences under the Sedition Act, such as insulting the ruling Umno party and saying top judges have erred in case decisions. Some of them have been convicted.

This is despite Prime Minister Najib Razak's pledge in 2012 to repeal the law as part of a raft of democratic reforms to win over liberal voters in last year's general election. Critics say the Sedition Act is used to stifle political dissent.

Link: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysia-lawyers-protest-against-sedition-act-urges-najib-honour-his

BY MUZLIZA MUSTAFA. Published on 16 October 2014 by The MalaysianInsider.

For the fourth time in its history, the Malaysian Bar today rallied, this time, against the Sedition Act 1948 demanding that Putrajaya repeal the colonial-era law, which in recent weeks had been used against opposition politicians and activists.

In a fiery speech at the start, Bar Council president Christopher Leong said the act was created to shut people up and Putrajaya was using it just to do that.

“This is an unprecedented abuse against lawyers, students, journalist and civil society. We are here to claim back the democratic public place. As much as you may try, you cannot stop our freedom of expression, our thoughts. We will ask why," said Leong.

Despite the heat, hundreds of lawyers in suits gathered at Padang Merbok from 9.40am today for the “justice and freedom walk against the Sedition Act”.

The Malaysian Bar previously walked in protest against the Peaceful Assembly Act in 2012, against allegations that judicial appointments were fixed in 2007 and amendments to the Societies Act in 1982.

The group began walking towards the Parliament at about 11.40am, with lawyers holding placards and banners, chanting "Hidup Hidup Rakyat" (Long live the people) and "Mansuh Mansuh Akta Hasutan" (Abolish Sedition Act).

About 10 of them will be going into the Parliament to hand over the memorandum to the representative of the Prime Minister's Department, calling for the Sedition Act to be abolished.

Leong said the group then met with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Mah Siew Keong and handed him the memorandum that called upon Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to repeal the Sedition Act as he had promised in 2012.

In the memorandum, the Malaysian Bar also urged Najib and Putrajaya to commit and promote the building of a fair, just, harmonious, unified, moderate, progressive Malaysia and reject all forms of bigotry, racist and religious extremism.

After the meeting, Leong, in a statement, admitted that changes would take time and said that the Bar Council would continue to play its role within the period.

"We are saying that you cannot punish people because they are expressing their thoughts, because you did not like what they said or because you did not agree with what they said.

"The Sedition Act is in fact a counter-productive measure to better Malaysian.”

He said the Malaysian Bar was aware that there were some fault-lines when it came to a multiracial country but the fault-lines should not be dealt using the act.

"We have to deal with it through dialogues and exchanging of ideas.”

Putrajaya embarked on a sedition blitz in recent weeks even after Najib had continued to give assurance that he would abolish the draconian law.

However, Putrajaya was also facing pressure from Umno grassroots and some Malay groups to retain the law, which they said would protect the position of the Malays, Islam and the monarchy.

The prime minister also appeared to renege on his promise with a statement from his office that said Putrajaya would tread carefully with the Sedition Act as it had not yet decided whether to go for a complete repeal, to retain it with amendments, or to introduce new laws.

The statement was contradictory to Najib's pledge two years ago to repeal the Sedition Act and replaced it with a National Harmony Act.

Among those who have fallen under the sedition dragnet are PKR vice-president N. Surendran, who was charged twice last month with sedition, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer, Sabah politician David Orok, and Universiti Malaya law professor Dr Azmi Sharom and preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussein.

Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysian-bar-march-against-sedition

Published by Today Online Singapore, on 17 Oct 2014.

Ten lawyers acting as representatives for the group then delivered a note to Mr Mah Siew Keong, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who received the document on behalf of Mr Najib.

Saying that the parties had a “fruitful discussion”, Mr Leong added that Mr Mah had given his assurance that he would convey the views of the Malaysian Bar, which represents 16,000 lawyers in Peninsular Malaysia, to the Prime Minister.

“We ask the Prime Minister and government to take into account our views and that he remains steadfast in his pledge and promise made in July 2012 to repeal the Sedition Act,” said Mr Leong outside Parliament.

The lawyers also called for a moratorium on the use of the law, which dates back to 1948 when Malaysia was under British rule.

Before the march started, Mr Leong told reporters that about 13 foreign Bar associations had written to Mr Najib in support of the Malaysian Bar’s campaign.

The Prime Minister described the Sedition Act in July 2012 as the representative of a “bygone era” and said he would replace it with legislation aimed at preventing incitement of religious or ethnic hatred.

However, last month, his office said there would not be a rush to change it, as human rights group Amnesty International and Malaysian civil groups called on him to honour his earlier vow, with more people being charged under the law in recent months.

As a replacement to the Sedition Act, Mr Najib has proposed the National Harmony Act, which he has said would protect freedom of expression. The government has not started drafting the law, however, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office last month.

Before the new law comes into place, existing cases under the current Act must be tried under current rules, the government said in August.

Amnesty International Malaysia said last month that the increasing use of the act was fostering a “climate of repression”. From January to September, 12 cases — some involving lawmakers, academics and student — were prosecuted under the Sedition Act — the highest figure since 2009.

Read more here: http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/lawyers-kl-march-against-sedition-act?singlepage=true

Sedition dragnet reeks of double standard

Batu MP Chua Tian Chang, activist Haris Ibrahim and PAS’s Tamrin Ghafar were arrested for sedition today and brought to the Jinjang police station for questioning, according to reports. It is understood the trio were detained separately in an apparent police crackdown today. This is the third police investigation into sedition since the May 5 general election...

The first was student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim who was charged with sedition in the Jalan Duta court complex this morning. The 24-year-old pleaded not guilty and was released on a RM5,000 court bail with his trial set for a mention on July 2...

According to the charges read out this morning, his words had a seditious tendency and were aimed at rallying Malaysians to change the current government through undemocratic means.

His statement, in Malay: “Take my details, lodge a police report, because today, I would like to invite all those here today to gather and take to the streets to seize back our power! Can we do that? Can we do that? Can we do that? We do not have much time left, get ready, buy shoes, buy tracksuits, buy jeans, get ready to take to the streets because in a third world country like Malaysia, elections cannot topple a government. Only the people’s power can topple a government. Remember, ladies and gentlemen, this is the only opportunity we have.”

Charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948, the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris undergraduate faces a jail term of not less three years, or a fine of up to RM5,000 or both, if convicted. Adam Adli, who came to court in a black T-shirt, was represented by lawyers Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, N. Surendran, Afiq M. Noor and Shamsul Iskandar Mat Akin.

Read more here: 

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/tian-chua-haris-ibrahim-held-in-sedition-crackdown/

Speaking to FMT, S Vell Paari said he was concerned to learn about the arrests of Anything But Umno (ABU) leader Haris Ibrahim, PKR vice-president Tian Chua and PAS’ Thamrin Ghaffar. The trio were held this afternoon in connection with a forum on May 13, where a call was made to topple the Barisan Nasional government via street protests. Vell Paari said the arrests would anger the public further as the authorities would be perceived to be practicing double standard when it comes to enforcing the Sedition Act.

“While the likes of [Perkasa leaders] Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin; and academic Ridhuan Tee Abdullah are allowed to roam free despite making incendiary remarks about race and religion, these opposition figures are however swiftly hauled up. “Even the Utusan Malaysia frontpage in the aftermath of the general election, which read ‘Apa Lagi Cina Mahu? [What more do the Chinese want], screamed sedition but our leaders chose to defend the publication,” added the MIC strategy director.

Vell Paari said this development did not bode well for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s administration. “As it is BN suffers from a severe perception crisis and these arrests would just aggravate the situation,” he warned. Vell Paari said while the police had the right to investigate those who called for street protests to topple the government, it should not resort to using draconian laws...

Talk is rife that the government’s hard stance stemmed from the appointment of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as the new home minister, who is said to be reintroducing the facets of Mahathirism. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a BN source said that he would not be surprised if former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad was pulling the strings. “Najib was given his chance and he blew it. His electoral performance was worse than his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. “So perhaps Umno is now looking to its grand wizard to set the house in order,” he told FMT.

Read more here:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/05/23/sedition-dragnet-reeks-of-double-standard/

Konsert BERSIH 8T – Time to renew the call for CLEAN elections

Press Statement, 27 September 2012

Five months have now passed since more than 250,000 citizens stepped forward to join the BERSIH 3.0 : Duduk Bantah event on 28 April 2012. These everyday Malaysians exercised their right to assemble in order to urge the government to clean up the electoral system.

However, it appears that the government is still unwilling to heed the voices of the people. The BERSIH 2.0 eight demands and the 22 recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report have yet to be fully implemented. Thus, BERSIH 2.0 is organising a fun-filled concert on 13 October 2012 at Stadium Kelana Jaya aimed at reminding the Election Commission that the 8 demands remain unfulfilled.

In the months since the historic BERSIH 3.0 peaceful assembly, the government has focused its attention on attacking the BERSIH 2.0 steering committee in various ways instead of getting down to the much-needed electoral reforms. The authorities are pursuing legal actions against the steering committee and the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) has threatened to issue hefty summons to the committee.

Despite this, BERSIH 2.0 has persisted in its efforts to raise awareness on the many instances of serious discrepancies in the electoral roll. Our work so far has been made possible because of the generous support of regular Malaysians who have donated to the cause. However, more needs to be done.

Some of the performers lined up so far are Ito, Julian Mokhtar and the Gang, Soul Saviors (the winners at Pesta Lagu Jalanan), Republic of Brickfields, punk band Dum Dum Tak punk band, Canto rock band Hui Se De Dai and Ray Cheong. There will also be BERSIH 2.0 activities for all ages to participate in and a special song by the BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee. National laureate A. Samad Said who is a co-chairperson of BERSIH 2.0 will also read a special poem at this event.

This concert event will not only be for fundraising but will be fun and memorable and also serve as a reminder to the government leaders of their duty to heed the call for urgent reforms. Malaysians will not accept anything less than a thorough clean-up of its electoral system and we will not hesitate to come together once again to make our voices heard.

The details are as follows:

DATE               : 13 October 2012

VENUE             : Kelana Jaya Stadium, Petaling Jaya

TIME                : 6.00pm – 11.30pm

*Entry by minimum donation

KELUAR MENGUNDI, LAWAN PENIPUAN

Thank you.

Salam BERSIH!

Steering Committee

Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH 2.0)

The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:

Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan (Co-Chairperson), Datuk A. Samad Said (Co-Chairperson), Ahmad Shukri Abdul Razab, Andrew Ambrose, Andrew Khoo, Anne Lasimbang, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Awang Abdillah, Dr Farouk Musa, Hishamuddin Rais, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Matthew Vincent, Niloh Ason, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato’ Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato’ Yeo Yang Poh and Zaid Kamaruddin.

Link: http://www.bersih.org/?p=5440

Public appeal for funds: BERSIH 2.0 needs your support

http://www.bersih.org/?p=5389 Press Statement, 23 August 2012.

When BERSIH 2.0 was launched in April 2010 as a fully non-partisan movement asking for urgent electoral reforms, no one anticipated just how strongly the Malaysian public would respond. The swift and courageous support from all walks of life, many of whom also braved the streets of Kuala Lumpur (and in many other places around the world) on 9 July 2011 and again on 28 April have made it clear that the call for free and fair elections is a sentiment which echoes strongly in our nation.

BERSIH 2.0 has seen an outpouring of support from the public in the last two years and it has enabled the push for reforms to be made, to the point where the government has finally begun to respond. However, their response has not always been positive. In fact, the government often appears more interested in “shooting the messenger” rather than focusing on the message of hand: cleaning up the electoral system.

RM1 campaign for clean and fair elections

As the next general elections looms closer, BERSIH 2.0 seeks your support. The work still needs to continue and we need to work together for all of us to carry on. Therefore, BERSIH 2.0 is now launching a fund raising campaign to ask every Malaysians to support us by donating to the BERSIH 2.0 “Make a difference with RM1” campaign for Clean and Fair Elections. We aim to raise RM250,000 to reflect the 250,000 brave Malaysians who turned up for BERSIH 3.0 : Duduk Bantah on 28 April 2012.

Specifically, the funds will go to:

Medical and Legal Expenses of Victims of Police Brutality

1. Supporting the victims of police brutality during and after 28 April who have courageously come forward to seek justice. BERSIH 2.0 wishes to support them if they choose to file lawsuits against the authorities as well as to cover their medical expenses.
2. The authorities have decided to launch a civil suit against 10 members of the BERSIH 2.0 steering committee for alleged damages amounting to RM122,000 that were incurred during the Bersih 3.0 “duduk bantah” assembly. The government also wants general damages, interest and a declaration that Bersih breached Section 6(2)(g) of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA), despite the fact that the government also declared the PAA as a revolutionary law which would facilitate peaceful assemblies.
3. Meanwhile, DBKL has also has sent a notice of demand to co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan and committee member Maria Chin Abdullah, demanding compensation of RM351,203.45 for “losses” incurred during the same event. This includes damage to “landscaping and trees, the cost of setting up metal barricades, cost of transport and support staff, damage to signboards and barriers, as well as overtime allowances, food, drink and transport costs for law enforcers”.

The two wholly unfair charges by the government are seen as targeted attacks against BERSIH 2.0 aimed at derailing the call for free and fair elections. Thus, BERSIH 2.0 urgently appeals to all Malaysians to maintain its focus on this crucial issue and support the effort in whatever ways that they can.

Many lawyers have come forward to volunteer their legal services to BERSIH 2.0 victims as well as to the Steering Committee members who had been sued by the government. While their services are free, there are still expenses to be paid out especially filing fees, transportation and other administrative costs.

Funds raised will cover bail money (where applicable), legal administrative expenses and medical costs. [RM150,000]

BERSIH Awareness Campaign – Keluar Mengundi Lawan Penipuan

Funds are also required for the continued awareness of the various issues surrounding the 8 demands of BERSIH 2.0 to be spread to greater numbers of Malaysians. The awareness campaign activities will cover Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. We will be printing leaflets, producing short cartoon video clips for easy dissemination, conduct workshops and ceramahs to highlight the eight demands of BERSIH 2.0, activities to encourage young voters to vote and be involved, and lastly for BERSIH 2.0 to develop our own BERSIH.TV so that we can have our voices heard.

We are embarking on campaigns throughout the country to bring the message to as many people as possible. With your backing, the core message of “Keluar Mengundi Lawan Penipuan” will reach far and wide, thus putting pressure on the authorities to implement the necessary changes and for you as a voter to decide wisely.

Funds raised will cover BERSIH 2.0 awareness campaign and communications [RM100,000]

The funds collected will be regularly updated on our website with audited accounts made available.

SUPPORT “BERSIH RM1 CAMPAIGN” AND SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO EMPOWER, BERSIH 2.0 Secretariat at:

Account No: 12380000661-10-0

Account Name: Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor

Bank: CIMB Islamic, Section 52, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Thank you. Salam BERSIH!

Steering Committee

Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH 2.0)

The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:

Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan (Co-Chairperson), Datuk A. Samad Said (Co-Chairperson), Ahmad Shukri Abdul Razab, Andrew Ambrose, Andrew Khoo, Anne Lasimbang, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Awang Abdillah, Dr Farouk Musa, Hishamuddin Rais, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Matthew Vincent, Niloh Ason, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato’ Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato’ Yeo Yang Poh and Zaid Kamaruddin.

Ambiga Ignores Threats In Fight For Fairer Malaysian Vote

By Ranjeetha Pakiam and Liau Y-Sing. Published by Bloomberg.com on 22 August 2012.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-21/ambiga-ignores-threats-in-fight-for-fairer-malaysian-vote.html

Ambiga Sreenevasan got anonymous death threats for her work on the rights of women whose husbands convert to Islam in Muslim-majority Malaysia four years ago. After leading a rally calling for electoral reforms in April, she was accused of treason by a ruling party lawmaker.

The 55-year-old former Malaysian Bar Council president, who received the International Women of Courage Award from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009, hasn’t stopped challenging the government’s human rights policies. “They underestimate right-thinking Malaysians,” she said in an interview. “We don’t like bullying.”

While Prime Minister Najib Razak, who must call elections by early 2013, has agreed to some of the demands of Ambiga’s Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, or Bersih, for fairer voting procedures such as the use of indelible ink, his government has declared the civil society group illegal and she has become the focus of personal attacks. Opposition leaders have championed Bersih’s campaign and called the attacks racist.

“She is seen as somebody who’s a professional, has the aspirations of the middle class, believes in things like human rights and good governance,” said James Chin, a professor of political science at the Malaysian campus of Australia’s Monash University outside Kuala Lumpur. “She symbolizes that: Somebody who holds the Malaysian authorities accountable for their actions.”

Triple Minority

The mother of two believes her “demonization” has intensified because government supporters want to undermine the credibility of the non-partisan campaign for free and fair elections. As an Indian, Hindu and woman, “I’m a minority in every sense of the word and I think they thought it would be easy to do,” she said.

In the 2008 elections, Najib’s multiparty, multiethnic National Front coalition had its worst showing in five decades of unbroken rule as urban Malays as well as Chinese and Indian minorities supported opposition parties pledging policies that don’t discriminate in favor of the Malay-Muslim majority.

Harassment of Ambiga since the April demonstration has included traders setting up outside her home and serving free beef burgers and Malay army veterans stretching and shaking their buttocks near her house. Ruling party lawmaker Mohamad Aziz withdrew his June 26 comment about Ambiga’s possible treason - a crime which carries the death penalty - two days later following complaints from the ruling coalition’s ethnic Indian party leaders.

Electoral Impact

“Her rather calm and methodical responses to many of the different challenges and the personal attacks,” have given a sense of pride to the Indian Malaysian community, according to Bridget Welsh, Associate Professor of Political Science at the Singapore Management University. “By allowing the people who attacked her to go without prosecution or condemnation -- this has actually had an electoral impact.”

Indians account for about 7 percent of Malaysia’s population of 29 million. Najib’s approval ratings dropped to 69 percent in June from 72 percent in May among the ethnic Indian community, possibly due to dissatisfaction over statements toward Ambiga, according to a Merdeka Center for Opinion Research survey released July 26.

Mohamad Aziz’s comments were personal and didn’t reflect the National Front’s stand, the coalition said June 27. Najib said two days later that statements that hurt the feelings of other races shouldn’t be made.

Overseas Voting

Besides the use of indelible ink, the next election will allow Malaysians living overseas to vote as part of “unprecedented measures” to strengthen the electoral process, a government spokesman said. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in an interview that Ambiga led “unreasonable” attacks against the government when she was heading the Bar Council. “She seems to have some grudge against the government,” said Mahathir, who resigned in 2003 after 22 years in power. “I think this country has done much better than any other developing country and yet to her it’s wrong, it’s all wrong.”

Ambiga insists she is non-partisan and will not enter politics “so when you say something, it’s not because of politics and not because of which party I belong to, but because it is right, because it’s the law.” Bersih, which last month won a court order overturning the government’s declaration it is an illegal organization, will continue to push for greater transparency in the voting system, saying the changes announced by the government aren’t substantial enough or haven’t yet been implemented.

Positive Change

After receiving death threats including a detailed one by e-mail on June 30, Ambiga now travels with bodyguards, but she doesn’t believe that Malaysia, which saw racial clashes and the suspension of parliament when the ruling party lost support in 1969 elections, will experience political violence.

“If enough people want change, there’s very little anyone can do to stop it,” she said. “Malaysians are generally peace- loving -- we are nowhere near what was happening in the Middle East, Tunisia and Egypt. We are at the right point in time for positive change, and if we are going to bring change, we only want to do it by clean and fair elections.”

The lawyer intends to step down from Bersih after Malaysia’s next election to focus on her work at her firm specializing in commercial, intellectual property and industrial law. Personal interests like cricket and the arts have also been set aside, she said.

Stage, Courts

“My claim to fame was sharing the stage with Jit Murad about 37 years ago,” she said, referring to the comedian and actor who co-founded Malaysia’s Instant Cafe Theatre Company. Ambiga also has some unfinished work from her previous campaign which first brought her death threats: Women’s rights.

Malaysia has a civil court system inherited from its former British colonial rulers as well as separate Islamic courts governing marriage, inheritance and other family matters for Muslims. “The courts have abdicated their responsibility over a lot of family law issues in these situations involving both the Shariah courts and civil courts,” she said, citing cases where husbands have converted to Islam and unilaterally converted their children too, leaving wives in limbo.

While the government in 2008 proposed legislation requiring individuals wishing to convert to first inform family members and address custody issues, the process stalled at Malaysia’s council of Malay rulers, who have constitutional responsibility for Islamic affairs.

“This should be first in line for resolution,” Ambiga said. “The ordinary Malaysian is beginning to realize that it is not acceptable to play up religion and race in politics. There is a real maturing.”

Related reports:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-misjudged-right-thinking-malaysians-ambiga-tells-bloomberg/
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/206887
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/08/22/ambiga-to-leave-bersih-after-ge/

Bersih 2.0 is LEGAL: Court quashes Hisham's "tainted" ban, time for BN to APOLOGISE

Written by  Maria Begum, published by Malaysia Chronicle on 24 July 2012.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has ruled that Bersih 2.0 was not an unlawful society, quashing a Home Ministry order aim to derail the free and fair election's movement decision to hold a mass protest on July 9, 2011.

While the court decision will surely be savored by many Malaysians and civil society alike, it is also a slap in the face for Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and his cousin, Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The two men are regarded as the prime movers behind the BN government's brutal crackdown on some 50,000-odd peaceful demonstrators.

"This vindicates the Bersih 2.0 steering committee and the rally goers. All they ever wanted to do was to show that they supported clean elections but many were cruelly beaten through no fault of their own. If anyone should be blamed, it should be the BN for its flawed conduct, policies and desperate attempts to cling to power," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Calling Hisham's decision a "tainted" one, Justice Rohana Yusuf said the Bersih 2.0 coalition of civil societies, though not officially registered, could still be considered a society under the Societies Act.

“The minister’s order is quashed because Bersih is a lawful society,” Rohana said.

She added that even if it could be proved Bersih 2.0 was a society that had been used for purposes prejudicial to the security of Malaysia, the order was unreasonable and not valid.

Hisham had declared Bersih 2.0 unlawful, citing section 5 of the Societies Act 1966 as investigations had shown that Bersih 2.0 was not a registered organisation and that it was creating unease among the people.

Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan and 13 of her colleagues had in response filed a judicial review seeking to get the Najib administration to lift its July ban.

"It's the right decision. It affirms what has been said by the brave people who attended the rally all along. The government must be acciuntable and held responsible for all the unlawful arrests made against the innocent people under the pretext of 'illegal Bersih'," PKR legal bureau director Latheefa Koya told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Now that the court has made its ruling, I think it is only fitting that the BN government and the police issue a public apology to Bersih, and of course to the thousands of Malaysians who attended the protest."

Bersih 3.0 in Johor Bahru @ Dataran Bandaraya JB

Walk For Freedom 2011

Lawyers end march, say to keep up pressure on assembly law

The Bar Council warned the Najib administration today it will “continue knocking on the doors of Parliament” if the Peaceful Assembly Bill is passed without public consultation.

Malaysian Bar President Lim Chee Wee urged the government to consider the council’s proposed alternative to the government’s original Bill, which he described as an “unjust law made in haste ... which will impose unreasonable and disproportionate fetters on freedom of assembly”.

“The Bar will continue knocking on the doors of Parliament if the Bill makes it to the statute books in its current form. We will not give up hope,” he vowed during a brief press conference in Parliament here.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/lawyers-end-march-say-to-keep-up-pressure-on-assembly-law

Bar Council presents alternative assembly bill

The Bar Council has made public its alternative to the controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill, saying it takes “significantly different approaches” from the one the Dewan Rakyat passed today.

The council said in a media statement that its draft, also called the Peaceful Assembly Bill, complied with international conventions. It gives every person, regardless of age, the right to assemble peacefully.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/29/bar-council-presents-alternative-assembly-bill/

More than 2,000 lawyers gather to protest Assembly Bill

More than 2,000 lawyers from the 14,000-strong Bar Council turned up for the much-anticipated protest despite the short notice given. They began begin their 2.5km 'Walk for Freedom' to Parliament at around 12.30pm.

On reaching the august House, president of the Bar Lim Chee Wee and 9 others were allowed into the lobby. They handed over a copy of the Bar's alternative Bill to Deputy Minister Liew Vui Kong, plus a letter reiterating their call to MPs to vote wisely on the Bill.

“We are not anti-government or pro-opposition. We are anti-injustice and anti-unconstitutionality. We are pro-justice and pro-rule of law. We have always worked closely with the government,” Lim said.

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=23657:more-than-2000-lawyers-gather-to-protest-assembly-bill-walk-to-begin-soon&Itemid=2

Lawyers march against Assembly Bill

More than 1,000 members of the Bar Council marched to the Dewan Rakyat today to protest the proposed the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011.

Led by their president Lim Chee Wee, they asked MPs not to pass the controversial Bill, claiming that it would curtail the right to peaceful assembly.

Lim said that Malaysia was founded on public demonstrations, citing founding father Onn Jaafar’s leading of the Malayan Union against the British.

He also pleaded to the MPs not to rid Malaysians the right to assemble peacefully “with the stroke of a pen”.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/29/lawyers-march-against-assembly-bill/

Malaysia passes ban on street protests

Malaysian and international rights groups describe it as repressive because it bans street rallies and imposes tough restrictions and penalties for demonstrators.

The law was announced only last week, and some critics say the vote was rushed without proper public consultation.

About 500 lawyers and their supporters marched to parliament hours before the vote, urging lawmakers to reject the bill and chanting "freedom to the people'' before police stopped most of them from entering the complex.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2011/11/201111299054994173.html?utm_content=automateplus&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_term=tweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount#.TtTR3pmqa6A.facebook

Malaysia’s ruling coalition advances ban on street protests criticized as repressive

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition says the Peaceful Assembly Act is intended to strike a balance between public order and the right to peaceful assembly. The act passed easily in Parliament’s lower house after the boycott, and the law is expected to be enforced after Parliament’s upper house, also dominated by the National Front coalition, approves it as early as next month.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/500-malaysian-lawyers-activists-stage-protest-march-against-govt-plan-to-ban-street-ralllies/2011/11/29/gIQA2il36N_story.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Opposition MPs walk out, refuse to vote on Peaceful Assembly Bill

Opposition MPs staged a walkout during the debate on the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 on Tuesday, claiming that the Government was rushing the bill through.

The entire bench stood and left the House at around 3pm after the Speaker allowed the debate to continue despite calls for it to be suspended and for the bill to be referred to a Parliamentary Select Committee.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/29/nation/20111129153616&sec=nation

Peaceful Assembly Bill passed

KUALA LUMPUR: The Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 was passed by Parliament Tuesday after six amendments were made to the bill.

The bill was passed with no dissenting votes after the Opposition refused to take part in the debate and staged a walkout.

The walk-out was staged before Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri tabled six amendments to the bill.

The bill was passed before Deputy Speaker Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had allowed just three Opposition MPs to debate the proposed law.

The Opposition had asked for it to be retracted and put before a Parliamentary Select Committee for review.

The six changes include Sub-Clause 9 (1), where the 30-day notice period required to be given to the police was changed to 10 days.

Under Clause 12 (b), objections against a proposed assembly must be lodged with the police in writing within 48 hours, instead of five days.

For Clause 14, the change included the provision for police to give a reply to organisers within five days instead of 12.

In Clause 16(a), appeal against the rejection of an application or the exercise of police discretionary orders to organisers can be done within 48 hours of receipt, instead of four days while under Clause 16(b), the Home Minister is to answer any appeals within 48 hours of receipt instead of six days.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/29/nation/20111129164017&sec=nation

Hello MP, kami sedang perhatikan cara awak undi

Meminjam konsep bekas presiden Majlis Peguam, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan yang mahu setiap ahli parlimen "bertanggungjawab kepada pengundi mereka", warga maya melancarkan kempen mengingatkan wakil rakyat mereka bahawa corak pengundian mereka berhubung rang undang-undang kontroversi itu akan juga ditentukan pada pilihan raya akan datang.

Melalui kempen yang dikenali sebagai '#HelloMP' warga maya memuat-naikkan gambar mereka memegang sehelai kertas dengan nama kawasan pilihan raya dan wakil rakyat, menggesa mereka menolak rang undang-undang itu di Facebook.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/182714

Govt paranoid, says Ambiga

BERSIH chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan claims the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 is a "paranoid" Bill.

Asked if the proposed legislation was a retaliation against Bersih 2.0, she said: "I do not know whether it is a direct retaliation.

"I think it is a paranoid Bill. I think the government seems to fear the idea of the rakyat expressing themselves."

Ambiga said this before the Bar Council organised walk from Lake Gardens to Parliament building yesterday.

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/86739-bar-courting-trouble

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender story

Published by Free Malaysia Today on 7 November 2011.

From Nawawi Mohamad, via e-mail

While the Bar Council has defended the Merdeka Sexuality Festival, Ambiga Sreenevasan has supported it and the country’s number two cop had announced that it has been banned, many of us do not really know how difficult and how bad is it to be a LGBT.

Islam prohibits this kind of relationship between people of the same sex. However Islam does deal with individuals who face this kind problem in determining their gender. The point is Islam tackles the issue at its bud. Unfortunately the authorities have not really put a serious effort in solving the issues. But this is typical of the Umno-BN government; they never really resolve any issues.

The problem with the LGBT people is that their problems started from adolescence up to old age but the damage will also affect others from the start and continue even after their death simply because by having a group of LGBT in any community it adds to the already so many problems.

This way of life is not right. They have no moral right to exist in society simply because their way of life is immoral. The problem needs immediate and urgent attention by the relevant authorities before it is too late but. The problem needs to resolved humanely.

Growing up being different is not easy. Studies have shown that LGBT youth are at increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

LGBT youths face an increased risk of violence, compared with other students. Violence can include behaviors such as bullying, teasing, harassment and physical assaults. This is especially true in schools where signs of weakness or difference attract bullies like moths to the flame.

Starting from this young age LGBT individuals face the ‘coming out problems; the process of acknowledging your own sexual orientation or gender identity, deciding whom to talk about it with and how you can do that. Coming out is in reality a process which occurs again and again throughout life for most LGBT individuals. Some will take their entire lives to just trying hard to be indentified and acknowledged by society. The not so long ago on the death of “Aleesha” proved the point.

As they grow up, they will faced with more difficulties. Multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking. While the medical consensus is that smoking knocks several years off an individual’s life expectancy, the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE) study found that homosexual conduct shortens the lifespan of “gays” by an astounding “8 to 20 years” – more than twice that of smoking. They are at a higher risk of getting AIDS and other sexual transmitted diseases. AIDS have been confirmed as a gay disease.

While some do have proper employment, many are not so fortunate. How can one have a successful education, with self-confidence when there are many problems other than that faced by a normal person? Due to this inherent disadvantage, the LGBT people will not be able to acquire the relevant qualifications and find it hard to find decent jobs thus many ended up in massage parlours or become sex workers, and adding to more negative things in their lives.

Studies comparing the normal women with the lesbian and bisexual women show that the latter have a higher risk of contracting uterine, breast, cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers. They are less likely to become pregnant, thus do not benefit from the hormones released during pregnancy that protect against breast and ovarian cancers.

LGBT people will forever have relationship problem because of their stigma in society; they will always have difficulties in their ability to form and maintain wholesome relationships. They will also be faced with the nagging question whether or not their sexual behaviour is natural, compulsive or reactive.

They will keep wondering whether monogamy work would work because they have chosen this option. Despite the legitimacy given by some public figures, the happy front the LGBT people try to portray, their self-esteem will never be high, and they will always be looked down upon.

Those who are fortunate to be legally married will always want to have a complete life; have a family. The whole idea of having a family for the LGBT people is absurd. The child they brought up within their marriage will not be able to get a normal life like most of the kids. This is most unfair to the child who has no choice at all; things will just be imposed on the child.

The poor child will end up disillusioned and face much more challenging problems than the couple, all because of the lust and the self-interests of the parents. Their children will face serious problems as a result of the misguided sexual orientation of their parents as being normal.

LGBT people encounter the same range of traumatic events as heterosexual individuals. However, they may additionally come up against traumas specifically related to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Same-sex domestic violence will bring with it even more stigma and barriers to appropriate support. As of today there is no group of experienced people who know how to help them. They will automatically be neglected and left on their own. They could be rejected by society.

As they grow older things will not improve either. Towards the end they may regret for choosing that path. Being queer will end up facing queer things. As there has not been much research in determining the fate of these LGBT elderly, they will just have to face their problems on their own. They will always be regarded as low lives and deserve the consequences of their lust, stubbornness, arrogance and self interest.

By highlighting the problems faced by the LGBT people, I hope those who are considering to choose this path will think hard and think many times; it is not a correct path to choose neither will it be successful.

They can put the blame on society, but society has its own problems. On the other hand the government, religious authorities and groups who simply belittled this group of people need to prevent the problem from the start if not, nothing can be done now to reverse the fate of the LGBTs.