Civil societies in general, and Bloggers in particular, have had their worst nightmare coming true ... with reference to the concerns expressed via a *****Joint Press Statement on September 9, 2008 by AllBlogs and CPI that the Government might use the ISA to arrest and detain Raja Petra Kamarudin. This is a nightmare just beginning to silence critics who have always been exercising the Freedom of Expression with responsibility on national issues.
I received an SMS from budder blogger Bernard Khoo aka zorro that reads: "RPK arrested isa. Police in house now.Pass message." 12 Sept-2008 13.29:49
Let's show our Solidarity in Bloggersworld.
Will post Update when Zorro reports the happenings in progress...~~ YL, Desi
***** Reprised:
Joint Press Statement by National Alliance of Bloggers and Centre for Policy Initiatives
SOS on Raja Petra Kamarudin to Fellow Malaysians
During the last few days there has been an ominous and increasing crescendo of messages – written and verbal – indicating the imminent arrest and detention of fellow blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
We hope that the Government is not contemplating this action. To alleviate the widespread public uproar and concern – national and international – that this shortsighted action will precipitate, we call on the authorities that may be planning this action to take heed of this SOS; to immediately cease all targeting of Raja Petra through the ISA or any other repressive measure; and to come out instead with an assurance that
1. no such ISA order is being envisaged to be served on Raja Petra
2. Raja Petra is free to continue his writings on the vital matters affecting the country
3. the draconian legislation of the ISA will not be used on Raja Petra or any other Malaysian blogger to punish them for their dissenting views and opinions.
In our view - and if the Government should care to undertake an independent survey, in the view of the great majority of Malaysians and non-Malaysians - Raja Petra in no way poses a threat to the country’s peace and security. Rather, he poses a threat to those individuals and organizations that he perceives as engaging in unconscionable and dastardly acts and activities that are bringing ruin to the nation. Many Malaysians too are of the opinion that his website contains some of the most incisive analysis on the ills that beset our nation. Further attempts to take down his website or to shackle his freedom of expression is not only an attack on a fearless, principled and ethical patriot but they will also be construed as an attempt to restrict our freedom of information and expression, a move that will take the country further down the road of authoritarianism.
While we respect the right to freedom of speech and information, we also advise all Bloggers and other online writers to exercise the same high ethical standards expected of journalists in the traditional media. We do not condone lies and malice in the Internet and should not only stand by what we write - we must be able to defend the truth of what we write.
We emphasise that in our view the current laws pertaining to Sedition and Defamation apply equally to print and online media and should be deterrent enough to check "irresponsible" writings. Hence we urge that there be no resort to a draconian law such as the Internal Security Act to hold peace-loving Malaysian writers to ransom.
A democratic government should not for one moment entertain - let alone pursue - the charges that have been leveled against Raja Petra. To isolate those forces in the system that are bent on using the repressive instruments of the state against various opponents for their own benefit, we call on
1. all fair-minded and honest leaders from the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat parties to speak out - privately and publicly - against any attempt to use the ISA against Raja Petra;
2. component parties of the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to publicly oppose any intended incarceration of Raja Petra under the ISA;
3. civil society, professional and other organizations and private individuals to demand that the Government guarantees Raja Petra’s freedom of expression and undertakes not to use the ISA against him now or in the future.
We hope that good sense will prevail in our country’s leadership. Any act of repression against Raja Petra especially at this particular time will not go unquestioned or unanswered. We are confident that hundreds of thousands - if not millions of Malaysians – will stand firmly to make their dissenting views known should the Government choose to silence Raja Petra through the use of the ISA.
Statement released by
Ahirudin Attan Interim President, National Alliance of Bloggers (AllBlogs)
Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives.
Kuala Lumpur, 9 September 2008
_______________________________________________________
From dinmerican.wordpress.com, a confirmation about the ISA action in progress:
Syabas to Badawi: You have shot yourself in the foot again
12
09
2008
September 12, 2008
BREAKING NEWS: FREEDOM under Threat.
I have just received (at 1.24 pm) a call from Raja Sara that her Dad, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, has been taken in under ISA and that their Police are at their residence. Dato Ahmad Ismail, UMNO Bukit Bendera Division Chief, gets away with a 3-year suspension for his racist remarks with intent to incite unrest, and Raja Petra gets the ISA for being “a threat to national security”(?). This makes a mockery of the Rule of Law.
Who is behind this? If it is Najib and Syed Hamid are behind this move on Raja Petra, then I can only conclude that Badawi has lost control of his own government and he himself is under siege.— Din Merican
____________________________
UPDATED from a post at malaysia-today.net, quoting an AP report:
M'sia's Raja Petra arrested
Posted by kasee
Friday, 12 September 2008 14:47
Online commentator Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin has increasingly infuriated authorities by publishing numerous claims about alleged wrongdoings by government leaders on his popular site, Malaysia Today. -- PHOTO: BHM
(The Straits Times) KUALA LUMPUR - THE wife of Malaysia's top anti-government blogger says police have arrested him under a law allowing indefinite detention without trial.
Online commentator Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin has increasingly infuriated authorities by publishing numerous claims about alleged wrongdoings by government leaders on his popular site, Malaysia Today.
The government has denounced most of Raja Petra's allegations as lies.
Raja Petra's wife, Marina Lee Abdullah, said police came to their home on Friday to serve an arrest warrant on him.
Mdm Marina said police informed them he was being arrested under the Internal Security Act, a widely criticised law used against suspects regarded as national security threats.
Government and police officials could not immediately be contacted. -- AP
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