PUTRAJAYA – Former chairperson of electoral watchdog Bersih, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, should bear in mind how past administrations cracked down on public dissent before unfairly criticising the unity government, advised Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi, who is also the government spokesman, said that while Ambiga has a right to express her opinions, her labelling of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government as a “dictatorship” shows that the lawyer is “out of touch” with reality.
“(Ambiga’s criticism) is a hyperbole. Dia tidak berpijak di bumi yang nyata (She is not basing her comments on the reality of the situation),” Fahmi told a press conference at his ministry’s complex, here today.
“It was not this government which carried out Ops Lalang, nor have we brutalised protestors… I invite (Ambiga) to review history, including the Bersih protests she used to lead, (as) demonstrators now are not treated like how they were then.”
In 1987, the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad government launched a major crackdown known as Ops Lalang, resulting in the arrest of over 100 individuals, including activists and opposition leaders, under the Internal Security Act 1960.
While the operation was widely condemned for its harsh approach and suppression of dissent, past Bersih rallies calling for institutional reform were often victims of police brutality and mass arrests.
Fahmi pointed to a recent protest outside Anwar’s Tambun constituency service centres, drawing parallels over the bread and water served to protesters there versus the batons and tear gas demonstrators were previously greeted with at street rallies.
“Even criticism by the (current) Bersih chairman (Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz) and other quarters should consider the current context,” he added.
Asserting that Ambiga has aimed her rebukes at the “wrong target”, Fahmi said: “Maybe her target is actually previous government leaders.”
Ambiga previously took to social media to express her disappointment over Putrajaya’s move to require licences from social media platforms in a bid to curb online scamming, cyberbullying and sexual crimes against children.
She said that she had never expected to see a Pakatan Harapan-led government impose social media licensing laws, while retaining the Printing Presses and Publications Act after advocating for its abolition.
“Unity government, we can now crown you the most dictatorial government we have ever had. Well done.”
Putrajaya announced last week that it would require all social media platforms to be licensed under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to hold them accountable for cybercrimes, which have become increasingly alarming in Malaysia.
The government’s move has drawn criticism from rights groups, who have expressed concerns that the licensing move could lead to government censorship and suppression of free speech.
However, Fahmi revealed today that despite an invitation being extended, several civil society organisations had failed to attend engagement sessions hosted by his ministry regarding the licensing initiative.
Bersih, Fahmi said, did not sent a representative for any of the sessions, which were held on June 11 and 12, as well as on July 15.
Similarly, representatives from youth-based party Muda and media advocacy group Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) were also not present at the sessions. – August 1, 2024