Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Another candle light vigil...another set of arrests - maybe time to come up with new creative means of protest...

Another set of arrests - another indicator that Malaysia is more and more becoming a non-democratic nation.

Freedom of assembly & freedom of expression must be respected..

It is stupid and unreasonable for persons to be required to get police permission before they have protest peacefully. Are we turning into a some kind of 'police state'?

What really was wrong about this protest, Mr Police Officer... Was it the message? It was "to mark the "killing of democracy by the illegal government in Perak." - that is a sentiment we all know about...and so what was the danger of having a small candle light vigil in Seputeh? - so, why did you come to disperse this group...why did you arrest these persons, including a couple of 'wakil rakyat? Explain to us.....
The police tonight arrested more elected representatives - an opposition parliamentarian as well as a state assemblyperson - at a candlelight vigil to ‘mourn the death of democracy’
MCPX

dapsy seputeh vigil 190509 01Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and Teratai state assemblyperson Jenice Lee, two 20-something DAP female politicians, were arrested along with nine party workers at the vigil in Seputeh at 8.20pm.

The vigil, which was held outside DAP MP Teresa Kok's office, saw the participation of more than a dozen of black T-shirt clad protesters.

According to the organisers, the vigil was to mark the "killing of democracy by the illegal government in Perak."

The protesters had earlier gathered outside an empty space facing the DAP building and carried posters calling for the dissolution of the state assembly. - Malaysiakini, 19/5/2009, DAP MP, state rep arrested at candlelight vigil
But, I also wonder why these persons are out there protesting? Why do they refuse to disperse, and get arrested? What do you think?

Maybe, time for a change of strategy...taking into consideration that the police is getting more and more aggressive. Before the police gives 5 - 10 minutes for persons to disperse - nowadays, they just count to 10...

Maybe, it is time to sit down and devise more creative means of protesting... What do you think?

3 comments:

Mirage said...

Anonymous said:-

If the present PeeM of Malaysia can be implicated in Murder and Corruption and get away with these, then that is how good the Present UMNO controlled BN Government could be in terms of oppressing of the Rakyats, by using the Police Force as their tools of Oppressions of the Corrupted Government, in all walks of Malaysian lives. The only solution is to throw them, the corrupted UMNO Government, all out in the next by-elections and the next GE13 and find a replacement Government in Pakatan Rakyat. The cowardice UMNO has now chickened out by not daring to contest the Penanti Seat in Penang that shows that UMNO is a coward and led by cowardice PeeM who did not have the support of the Rakyats of Malaysia but whose Premiership is not earned but forced upon the Rakyats of Malaysia by the corrupted UMNO.

AnakMelaka said...

Dear Charles,

Agree with a more creative way to protest. Someone should study Gandhi's methods and inspire the Rakyat.

to Ketuanan Rakyat!

Charles Hector said...

A comment that was emailed to me from AA,

I think Malaysians should do what the Latin Americans did - namely bang pots and pans on a daily basis at a certain time of day as a mark of protest at the death of democracy and increasing police violence against innocent people. This is much better than candlelight protests since we can bang our pots and pans from the comfort of our homes and EVERYONE in Malaysia can MAKE SOME NOISE together for democracy.