At least two bloggers, a journalist, and one opposition politician were arrested under Malaysia's Internal Security Act yesterday, 12 September 2008, in what media and activists are afraid may be the start of a wider crackdown ahead of an anticipated opposition push to gain control of parliament next week.
Malaysiakini.com, the country's leading online independent news provider, says all are now being held under the country's draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows for detention without trial and has been used against government opponents in the past.
Malaysia's leading blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a staunch government critic on his website "Malaysia Today", was the first to be taken into custody in yesterday's flurry of arrests. Next up was journalist Tan Hoon Cheng, who works “Sin Chew Daily”, a Chinese-language newspaper that had recently covered a controversial outburst from a ruling party member who called the ethnic Chinese community "squatters". Malaysiakini.com says Teresa Kok, a lawmaker from the Chinese-based DAP, and Deputy Chief Minister in Selangor, was then also arrested under the ISA.
The Centre for Independent Journalists (CIJ), in an urgent appeal for help late Friday, said another blogger, Haris Ibrahim, was also arrested. The blogger was credited with starting a "People's Parliament project" which monitors government.
Malaysian media, oppositionists, and activists are today expressing fears that Malaysia may be headed for more than yesterday's initial wave of arrests. CIJ said the measures "bear a disturbing resemblance to the period in the lead-up to the Operasi Lalang in 1987" when dozens of activists, artists, academics and politicians were detained. "Both incidents are similar in that it relates to ongoing political crisis within (Malaysian ruling party) UMNO, but manifested as alleged racial tension by the government."
Yesterday's arrests may also be part of a wider campaign that last week also saw three Malaysian newspapers—the “Sin Chew Daily”; “The Sun”. which is a free English-language daily; and “Suara Keadilan”, which is published by the opposition -- threatened with suspension.
Last week the CIJ and the Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) sounded the alarm over a warning issued by government to the three papers over coverage of the same controversy for which journalist Tan was arrested.
Malaysikini quoted opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang as asking: "Is Malaysia in the grip of another ISA madness, akin to Operation Lalang 21 years ago when there were mass arrests under the ISA and closure of three newspapers?" Lim was among those arrested under Operation Lalang.
"Political observers fear the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which was humiliated in March elections and is now threatened by the opposition's plans, was planning a repeat of an infamous 1987 crackdown," Malaysiakini said. The news site says Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is believed to have launched the crackdown to bolster his position within the ruling UMNO party. He is facing increasing calls from party leaders to step down much earlier than what he has earlier promised - that he will hand over power to his deputy in mid-2010.
