Kaula Lumpur (Malaysia) : Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) has warned Prime Minister for what it claimed as weaponising of the police against his political opponents.
In a statement MAP president said
“We condemn in the strongest terms the arrest of Bersatu leader Badrul Hisham Shaharin (Chegubard) over his involvement in the “Turun Anwar” rally”. MDP added this act is yet another clear example of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government using the police as a tool of intimidation to create fear and silence dissent.
The flogging of an effigy may be seen by some as distasteful, but it is not a crime worthy of arrest. It is an act of political expression—inappropriate, yes, but fundamentally peaceful and non-violent. To respond with handcuffs and sedition charges is an abuse of state power and a direct attack on the freedom of expression that PMX himself has repeatedly claimed to uphold.
What message does this send to the rakyat? That criticism of the Prime Minister will be met not with dialogue or debate, but with police knocking at your door?
The use of colonial-era laws such as the Sedition Act and Section 504 of the Penal Code to suppress peaceful protests is not just outdated—it is dangerous. It signals a government that says one thing about democracy and transparency, but does another the moment it is challenged.
If the government truly respects freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, then why are peaceful protesters being hunted down and arrested days after the fact? This contradiction exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of this administration’s so-called reform agenda.
We echo Amnesty International Malaysia’s call: all laws that criminalise peaceful expression must be repealed, and law enforcement must be held accountable for protecting—not violating—the rights of the people.
This government was elected on the promise of reform. Yet, what we are witnessing is regression: fear over freedom, power over principle.
The rakyat will not and should not be silenced. Dissent is not a crime.
