Media Statement
by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Thursday): DAP condemns the inflammatory call by UMNO Senator Senator Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee for action to be taken against DAP Publicity Secretary and MP for Seputih Teresa Kok for exposing the naked woman forced to do ear squat and showing the video clip in Parliament. Such an attitude is not only short-sighted but also irresponsible, by showing that the national leadership views the real culprits as not those who commit wrongdoings but those who expose such wrongdoing.

How can the UMNO Senator claim that the action by Teresa had shamed the woman victim when it is the police that had shamed the women with such practices that is not sanctioned by any existing provisions of law? If Teresa is to be prosecuted for exposing this scandal then would the press (which highlighted this earlier) and other Ministers be also prosecuted? This appears to be part of the latest trend of taking action against those who make reports of corruption or abuse of power.

The civil suit by a policeman against an 18 year old girl in Seremban who had lodged a report of corruption against him is one good example. Another example is my own personal experience when asking former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Osu Sukam how  he gathered his extraordinary wealth as to be able to afford to gamble RM 160 million in a London Ritz casino and incurring losses of RM 31 million.

Osu paid RM 24 million but when he could not pay the remainder RM 7 million, he was sued by the London casino. When I called on the Anti-Corruption Agency to investigate Osu, ACA instead investigated me and recorded my statement asking where I got the information! To this day I do not know whether ACA investigated Datuk Osu on whether he gathered such extraordinary wealth when he was Sabah Chief Minister for 2 years.

DAP reiterates that Teresa Kok did not do any wrong in exposing police’s abusive actions but was only doing her duty as a parliamentarian. If by playing the role as a whistleblower, BN intends to prosecute and take action against her, DAP would not only vigorously defend her legally. DAP would wish to send out notice that it would launch a nation-wide and even international campaign to support Teresa Kok individually but Teresa as a symbol for the right of whistle-blowers to receive protection and not be prosecuted by the authorities for exposing their wrongdoings.

In this regard, this issue is not about the nationality or ethnic background of the female victim but the fact that her basic human rights was abused by the public. In exposing this scandal, DAP has been subjected to much extremist and irrational attacks by UMNO and BN MPs from trying to tar the image of the country and the police to racialising the issue because of the nationality of the victim.

DAP reiterates that the fact that the victim is not a Chinese national but a Malaysian Malay does not make any difference. Instead because the fact that the victim is a Malaysian Malay would make DAP leaders more determined to uphold the rights of Malaysians. DAP is willing to

Malaysia Boleh Spirit Should Encompass Punishing Culprits Committing Wrongful Acts And Not Whistleblowers Exposing Wrongdoings.

The Malaysia Boleh spirit should encompass punishing culprits committing wrongful acts and not whistleblowers exposing wrongdoings. DAP criticizes the police’s harsh action in arresting 6 activists (including PKR Information chief Tian Chua) who were peacefully demonstrating against the 11^th ASEAN summit’s failure to address issues of human rights abuses, migrants and refugees especially in relation to lack of democracy in Myanmar.

Such use of force by police in carrying out such arrests in full view of international media will only deepen the perception of an abusive Malaysian police that does not respect human rights and absence of basic democratic freedoms such as the right of assembly. The activists did not create any public disturbance nor destroy public property nor injure anyone until the police moved in to beat them up and arrest them.

DAP urges the police to drop all charges against their activists and apologise for their unwarranted action. Such acts will only give a negative impression of Malaysia internationally. Malaysia’s international reputation has suffered from the shame of ill-treatment of those detained by police until Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Azmi Khalid was forced to go to China to apologise.

(15/12/2005)