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 ©The
Straits Times, Singapore (Used by permission)
by Reme Ahmad, Assistant Foreign Editor
Arrests, warnings lead some to fear crackdown like that 21
years ago
MANY Malaysians asked two questions yesterday when they heard
that blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin and a female reporter had been arrested under
a tough security law.
Who was next?
Was this Operasi Lalang II?
Raja Petra and Sin Chew Daily News reporter Tan Hoon Cheng were the only
ones arrested. And the government only issued warnings to three newspapers -
The Sun, Sin Chew Daily News and opposition newsletter Suara
Keadilan - but it did not revoke their licences.
But that did not stop talk that the moves heralded the beginning of a security
swoop.
Many politicians, bloggers and activists were concerned the action against the
papers and Raja Petra would snowball into a repeat of October 1987 when police
carried out a security swoop under the Internal Security Act (ISA) called
Operasi Lalang (Operation Weeding).
Veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, who was detained 21 years ago, wrote in
his blog yesterday that the current events 'seem to be the beginning of a
crackdown'.
Said popular Penang-based blogger Anil Netto: 'The show-cause letters to three
newspapers were reminiscent of Operasi Lalang in 1987. And now a couple of hours
later, we hear Raja Petra has been detained under the ISA.'
On Oct 27 and 28 that year, the police nabbed 106 people under ISA laws.
The government also revoked the printing permits of Sin Chew Jit Poh, The Star
and biweekly Watan, accusing them of playing up sensitive issues.
Recent events touching on race issues, especially that surrounding Umno official
Ahmad Ismail, were reminiscent of 1987 when temperatures also rose over Chinese
issues.
Mr Ahmad, a Penang Umno division chief, had called the Chinese community
'immigrants' and 'squatters' during the recent heated by-election campaign in
Permatang Pauh which saw opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim coasting to victory.
Mr Ahmad was slammed by Chinese political leaders from both the Barisan Nasional
(BN) coalition and the opposition. Instead of apologising, as he was asked to
even by Umno leaders, he remained defiant, likening the Chinese to American Jews
'who not only dominate economically but want to dominate politically'. He warned
the Chinese 'not to push the Malays'.
Mr Ahmad was suspended from Umno for three years, but the move did not go down
well with all.
His supporters saw it as unfair, as the Chinese who reacted were not punished
similarly, while some Chinese viewed the punishment as too light.
In 1987, racial tensions were stoked by several issues. Reports then said these
included the perception that Chinese political parties were ganging up to
question Malay political dominance.
There were also running controversies over Chinese lion dances, signboards and
advertisements, and over an ancient Chinese burial site in Malacca to be
redeveloped.
Those arrested then included 10 BN leaders, 19 opposition leaders, and dozens of
social activists and educationists.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then prime minister, had been at the helm for
only six years. But Operasi Lalang stamped his reputation as a leader who would
brook no nonsense as it was perceived then to have cooled racial tensions.
Observers note the similarities to the current standing of Prime Minister
Abdullah Badawi. He is five years into office and has been criticised within his
own party for being weak and ineffectual, allowing debates on race and religion
to get out of hand.
The police action yesterday 'appears to be Abdullah's way to show that he is
still in charge and on top of the situation', said a commentary yesterday in the
online newspaper The Malaysian Insider.
But the get-tough act by PM Abdullah has its own complications as he cannot be
seen to be taking selective action.
'Ahmad Ismail...gets away with a three-year suspension for his racist remarks
with intent to incite unrest, and Raja Petra gets the ISA purportedly for being
'a threat to national security'. This makes a mockery of the rule of law,' said
Mr Din Merican, programme director of opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Whether coincidental or not, the timing of yesterday's move also raised eyebrows
for another reason. It occurred on the same day the PM's loyal deputy Najib
Razak indicated he might be having second thoughts about remaining by the
Premier's side until 2010.
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Circular No 304/2008
