Say No to the Spectre of May 13 - JOINT PRESS STATEMENT BY CONCERNED MALAYSIANS ON 22 JANUARY 2008

Say No to the Spectre of May 13
Tuesday, January 22, 2008 · 2 Comments
If you endorse the statement below, please post this at your front page of the blog until Chew Mei Fun retracts her statement and apologize. [Click here for the Malay and Chinese versions of the Joint Statement.]


JOINT PRESS STATEMENT BY CONCERNED MALAYSIANS ON 22 JANUARY 2008:

Say No to the Spectre of May 13

Chew Mei Fun MP must retract her fear-mongering statement and apologize
We, the undersigned civil society groups and concerned citizens of diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, stress that all Malaysians have the right to choose their representatives and the government in a free, fair and clean election. No individual politician or political party should resort to threats or intimidation to influence the voter’s decision.

We lament that Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, MCA MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, as reported in the China Press on January 21 (Monday), has conveyed this fear-mongering message to the public: “If there is insufficient Chinese representation in the Barisan Nasional, it is not a good thing, the Chinese community cannot afford another May 13 incident.”

The May 13 ethnic riot in 1969 was a dark chapter in Malaysia’s political history where political violence and manipulation overshadowed the democratic process as well as the voice of the people. Invoking the bitter memories of this tragic incident for political gain is a huge insult to those who died, the surviving victims and their families. This veiled threat to voters not to support the opposition parties is shameless and unbecoming of a responsible political leader.

If Chew is aware of certain quarters planning to use violence in response to a certain electoral outcome, she who has been speaking tirelessly on public safety should lodge a police report immediately and assist in the police investigation.
If she is merely speculating, we are truly disappointed that she has stooped so low in fishing for support. Politicians should not behave like gangsters. They should not use the threat of violence to solicit vote, as gangsters do to extort money.

By making this statement, Chew has in fact violated Section 9 (1) of the Election Offences Act 1954:
Undue influence
9. (1) Every person who, before, during or after an election, directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person on his behalf, makes use of or threatens to make use of any force, violence, or restraint, or inflicts or threatens to inflict, by himself or by any other person, any temporal or spiritual injury, damage, harm, or loss upon or against any person in order to induce or compel such person to vote or refrain from voting, or on account of such person having voted or refrained from voting, at any election, or who by abduction, duress, or any fraudulent device or contrivance impedes or prevents the free exercise of the franchise of any elector or voter, or thereby compels, induces, or prevails upon any elector or voter either to give or refrain from giving his vote at any election, or who directly or indirectly interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise by any person of any electoral right shall be guilty of the offence of undue influence.

While waiting for the Election Commission to investigate and lodge a police report, we call upon Chew to do the honorable thing. She should retract her statement and apologize unreservedly for her fear-mongering act. She must condemn unreservedly the use of political violence in Malaysia.

Voters must be assured of their right to vote for any candidate or party of their choice in an environment that is free from fear and intimidation.

We also call upon the Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi to disassociate his administration and party from Chew’s fear-mongering statement and condemn unreservedly the use of threats and intimidation on voters.

We must not let Malaysia become a failed state where political violence rules, like Pakistan. We must not allow any party to ‘play with fire’. We categorically reject anyone who uses the spectre of May 13 as a bogeyman to threaten Malaysians.

All individuals or civil society organisations in support of democracy may endorse this statement by displaying a copy of this statement on their premises, vehicles or the front page of their blogs or websites, until Chew retract the statement and apologizes.

Civil Society Organisations:
Coalition For Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH)
Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC)
Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)
Malaysian Voters Union (MALVU)
Save Ourselves (SOS Penang)
For group endorsement, please email Medaline Chang at medster@gmail.com.

对513幽灵说不！
周美芬国会议员必须收回恐吓性言论并道歉

我们，代表多元族裔、宗教、文化背景的公民社会团体与关心国事的公民，强调所有马来西亚人都有权，通过自由、公平与干净的选举，推选民意代表和政府。没有任何政治人物或政党能够诉诸威胁或恐吓手段来影响选民的选择。

我们深感遗憾，马华党籍的八打灵再也北区国会议员周美芬小姐，如1月21日（星期一）《中国报》所报道，竟然对公众传达如此散布恐惧的言论：“若没有足够华裔代表在国阵，并非好事，华社已承担不起另一次513事件。”

1969年的513族群暴乱的确是马来西亚政治史上黑暗一页，因为政治暴力和权谋篡夺了选民的民主选择。为了政治目的而召唤513事件的惨痛回忆，是对悲剧中所有死难者、幸存者以及家属的严重不敬。以暗示513的重演来警告选民不得支持在野党更是无耻，绝非负责政治人物所应采取的手段。

如果周议员掌握情资，知道的确有人准备策划政治暴力，来回应特定的选举结果，畅言公共安全的她，应该立刻向警方报案，并协助警方调查。

反之，如果周议员只是凭空臆想，我们感到真心失望，因为她竟然为了钓取选票而如此自甘堕落。政治人物不是黑社会分子。他们不能像黑社会分子以威迫手段榨取金钱的方式骗取选票。

周议员的言论，事实上已触犯《1954年选举罪行法令》第9（1）条文“不当影响”。

9．1．在选举之前、期间或之后，直接或间接，本身或通过他人代表，通过使用或威胁使用任何武力、暴力，或胁制，或由本身或他人造成或威胁造成对任何个人在尘世或来世的伤害、破坏、危害、损失，以便诱使或迫使有关人士在任何选举中投票或不投票，或者基于有关人士在任何选举中投票或不投票的缘故；或者通过绑架、威胁、舞弊工具或阴谋，妨碍或阻止任何选民自由行使投票权，或者借此迫使、诱使、凌驾任何选民，以便在任何选举中给予或不给予其选票；或者直接或间接干预，或企图干预任何人自由行使任何选举权利；每一个作出以上行为者，将犯上不当影响的罪行。

在等待选举委员会就此事展开调查并报警的同时，我们呼吁周议员知错能改，亡羊补牢。她应该立即收回上述言论，并且为散布恐惧毫不保留地道歉。她必须毫不保留地谴责在马来西亚的任何政治暴力。

选民必须得到保证，他们可以在无畏无惧的环境中行使选举权，支持任何政党或候选人。

我们也呼吁首相阿都拉巴达维，清楚表明阿都拉政府与国阵，与周议员威吓选民的言论划清界线；并且毫不保留地谴责任何对选民的威胁与恐吓。

我们不能让马来西亚变成像巴基斯坦一样政治暴力横行的“失败国家”。我们不能允许任何人玩火。我们必须明确拒绝任何人利用513幽灵恐吓马来西亚公民。

所有热爱民主的个人，可以把这项声明展示在您的产业、交通工具或网页上，作为联署行动，直到周议员收回上述言论并道歉为止。