Re: Malaysia's Emergency Ordinance

PRESS RELEASE by N Surendran, PKR Vice President
Malaysia must end Emergency state
22 April 2011

Today Syria's authoritarian ruler Bashar al Assad was forced to lift
emergency rule which had been used to oppress and intimidate the
people of Syria for almost 50 years. The battle for freedom in Syria
is far from over, but this is a great new beginning for all
freedom-loving Syrians. The tyrant has been pushed into a corner and
it is only a matter of time before the people triumph. We in Malaysia
stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Syria.

We understand their struggle, for we too are involved in a peaceful
struggle to regain our political freedoms from the intolerant Barisan
Nasional government. In Malaysia several states of emergency continue
unrepealed and with full legal force. It is time to repeal all
Emergency proclamations and laws which are deliberately and
maliciously being kept in existence by the Government. These emergency
proclamations were made between 1964 and 1977, including the 1964
proclamation meant to deal with the confrontation with Indonesia and
the 1969 proclamation made in the wake of the May 13 riots. Many
oppressive ordinances promulgated under emergency powers remain
operative and continue to be used by the authorities.

Emergency powers are invoked under Article 150 of the Federal
Constitution. It is clear from a reading of Article 150 that a state
of emergency can only be maintained where there is a real threat to to
the security or economic life of Malaysia. A state of emergency
maintained otherwise than in accordance with the preceding
circumstances is nothing short of governmental tyranny; a tyranny
which the Barisan Nasional government has had no compunction in
continuing over the past 50 years. Barisan Nasional's motive is simply
to frighten the people into submission and thus prolong their unjust
rule by unconstitutional means.

It is a great shame to our country that some of the worst North
African and Middle East tyrannies have recently lifted their
respective states of emergency, whereas several states of emergency
continue in our country. The core and the strength of the BN's lawless
abuse of the law to achieve their selfish ends resides in these
emergency powers. We urge the BN government to put the people before
their own narrow political agenda and to immediately lift all existing
states of emergency in Malaysia.