Jakarta Post: Malaysia rich but not free

Jakarta’s representative to a regional human rights commission has called Malaysia’s response to Saturday’s Bersih rally a violation of human rights despite the Najib administration’s attempts to explain its actions to its Southeast Asian neighbour.Indonesia’s representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), Rafendi Djamin, told the Jakarta Post yesterday that Putrajaya’s reaction to the rally for free and fair elections was “so overwhelming that they violated human rights principles in their efforts to control freedom of expression.

Indonesia’s oldest English daily has been critical of the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration’s handling of the matter, calling the country “rich but not free” and “labouring under the “old paradigm that says you can have development or democracy, but not both” in an editorial today.


This comes despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak taking the unusual step of sending Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor to Jakarta to insist that the Bersih rally was just a ruse by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is popular as a Muslim leader in Indonesia.

“(The arrests) should not have happened. Every single citizen should have the right to … express their opinions and assemble,” said Rafendi, who is also the executive director of Indonesia’s Human Rights Working Group.

Rafendi added that such demonstrations were not unusual ahead of expected elections “but no repressive measures such as arrests were carried out against demonstrators. On the other hand, (the Malaysian government) had already begun arresting people one week before (Saturday’s rally).”

“If violence takes place like this here (in Indonesia), at the end of the day, civilians who are unarmed will be the victims,” he said.

But Tengku Adnan, who was tourism minister from 2006 to 2008, stuck to his party’s line and blamed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for the rally and denied there was electoral fraud as claimed by Bersih 2.0, the coalition of 62 groups that had organised the rally.

Bersih had claimed a turnout of 50,000 for the street demonstration which went ahead without police permission, resulting in nearly 1,700 arrests, scores injured and the death of a PKR leader’s husband.

The electoral reforms movement decided to take to the streets despite previously accepting Najib’s offer to move the street rally to a stadium after the government refused to allow the gathering to take place in Stadium Merdeka.

This came after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong called on the government a week ago to execute its duties fairly and for it to meet Bersih and discuss the issue of free and fair elections.

Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin had intervened after a police dragnet that had seen over 100 arrests, the raiding of the Bersih secretariat and confiscation of Bersih-related materials in the space of a week.

The first Bersih rally in November 2007 also saw tens of thousands being dispersed by police with tear gas and water cannons.

It was said to have been a key factor in a general election called just four months later, which saw BN losing its customary two-thirds hold of Parliament, ceding 82 seats and five state governments in its worst showing ever at the polls.

Dipetik dari Laman KL-Today