Protests mount over police
Prime Minister Dr Mohamad Mahathir (DA)
MALAYSIA
Among the groups the political detainees are associated with are Aliran, a social reform movement involved in civil and human rights issues; Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth), a leading third world environment group that helps communities affected by ecological problems; the Institute for Social Analysis crackdown
(Insan), a group of university academics that publishes books on social and economic themes; the Consumers' Association of
Penang, widely acknowledged as the third world's most active and important consu-
BETWEEN October 26 and November 7, the Special
Branch of the Malaysian police arrested 93 people under the Internal Security Act. The sweeping police and political crackdown in Malaysia has attracted growing criticism and protests, both within the country and internationally.
BARBARA WENTWORTH
D
ATUK SERI Dr Mahathir Mohamad explained the detentions of politicians and leaders of social organizations as necessary to prevent racial riots. However, several weeks after the start of the biggest police crackdown on social and political activists in Malaysian history, that reason has wor thin.
Most political observers, and ordinary
Malaysians, now interpret the crackdown as a desperate attempt by the prime minister to save his own political career by silencing all effective critics of his policies, his personality and his position.
By November 7 a total of 93 people had been detained without trial or access to a lawyer. They are being kept in small, dark cells without proper lighting or ventilation, in solitary confinement. Many of them have not been allowed to see their relatives or friends. It is also not known where the majority are being held.
With continuous interrogation by Special
Branch police, and being kept in solitary confinement without being able to speak to anyone, the political detainees must be undergoing tremendous physical — and especially psychological
— stress.
Politicians and activists detained
On November 24 the petition for writs of habeas corpus filed by seven of the detainees were denied. They, along with the others, are still being held under the same conditions.
A study of the list of detainees reveals that while politicians (including several members of parliament and of the state assembly) are highest in number, a large proportion are leaders or active members of social and voluntary organizations in-
22A volved in community work, civil rights,
International Viewpoint • December 21, 1987 consumer and environmental activities, labour rights and socio-economic research.
Among the people arrested and detained are well-known figures from the major political parties, including a few members of the ruling coalition of the Barisan Nasional
(National Front). Three key leaders of the youth wing of the dominant component of the National Front, the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), eight important leaders of the Malaysian Chinese
Association and five members of the Chinese-based Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia
— all components of the National Front — among those
The opposition, however, is the worst hit by these arrests.
Twenty-six leaders and members of opposition parties, including the general secretary of the (mainly Chinese) Democratic Action Party,
Lim Kit Siang, together with 15 of his party colleagues and nine members of the Islamic Party of Malaysia were among the early victims of the crackdown.
In addition, the cream of the nation's non-governmental organizations appear to have been taken into prison. Most of these are small groups that carry out research or hold seminars and provide community services for poor communities or workers.
mer organization; the Malaysian Trade Union Congress, the main umbrella body of the country's labour unions; the Transport Equipment Union; the Environmental Protection Society; and several groups associated with the Catholic and Christian churches, such as the Office for Human Development. "Racial tensions" used as
La pretext
These groups find it incredible that their leading members are being detained in a swoop supposedly caused by heightened racial tensions. Those detained are advocates of multi-racial harmony, which they feel can be attained only through helping communities solve their basic problems, irrespective of the ethnic origin of the communities.
Also detained are leaders of grassroots people's organizations or movements, including the Perak Anti-Radioactive Committee (which is protesting against the operations of a Japanese company produc-
International protests
INTERNATIONAL protests are increasing over the detentions.
On October 30, Amnesty International Issued an urgent action ing radioactive substances), Felda (government-owned) land scheme settlers and workers in a Sarawak government land scheme who had gone on strike over wages and working conditions.
In order to clamp down further on dis-
MALAYSIA notice requesting its members to send letters to the Malaysian sent, the country's most lively newspapers, prime minister to express concern at the detentions and asking
The Star (English) and Watan (Malaysian), for the detainees to be freed. In a press release, Amnesty said have been banned. The other leading papers most of those arrested were prisoners of conscience detained are mainly owned by UMNO and they have for the non-violent expression of their opinions.
been warned not to carry news or analysis
The International Commission of Jurists urged the Malaysian critical of the police crackdown. Indeed, government to bring to trial or release the detainees.
the papers now carry very little news of the security developments or the fate of the po-
The Regional Commission on Human Rights in Asia said the litical prisoners. Freedom of assembly has detentions should be viewed with grave concern and were an atbeen suspended with the banning of all tempt "to stifle the activities of those concerned with environpublic meetings and rallies. Parliamentary mental problems facing society. The use of the security act to proceedings with critical speeches made by
Intimidate such activists must be strongly condemned. Those both opposition party MPs and those in the detained should be released immediately or charged in an open prime minister's party, are being blacked out. The MPs have to resort to making
Eight members of the European Parliament (representing the photo-copies of parliamentary proceedings
Netherlands, UK, Greece, West Germany and Belgium) have for private circulation.
also sent telegrams to the Malaysian prime minister and to the
Independent observers increasingly see the police crackdown on opposition politi-
Inspector general of police expressing alarm over the arrests, cians and leaders of social organizations, especially of members of social groups.
and the banning of critical papers and pub-
Other Interational human rights organizations, Including SOS lic meetings, as Mahathir's way of silenc-
Torture and the European Committee on Human Rights in Maing criticisms against him and his political laysia and Singapore, plus several worldwide environmental colleagues.
groups, have strongly condemned the arrests.
Readers of IV are urged to send messages of protest, requesting the immediate release of all the detainees, to: Dr Mahathir
Accusations of corruption
Mohamad, The Minister of Home Affairs, Jalan Dato Onn, Kuala in government
Lumpur 50480, Malaysia. Telex: MA33099 PERMA. *
In recent months the prime minister's credibility and authority have been shaken by revelations and accusations of corruption and abuse of power for financial gain by his party, UMNO, and by politicians such as finance minister Daim Zainnudin, and businessmen close to him.
The crackdown is also seen as a way to silence and cripple the prime minister's critics within his own party, who had almost succeeded in voting him out of office in the last party elections in April 1987.
To justify such widespread repression,
Mahathir has painted a picture of extreme racial tension among the people, the Malays and the non-Malays in particular. The prime minister also raised the spectre of the violent and bloody racial conflict of May
1969 to justify the arrests and detention of his political opponents and dissidents, saying that they are "absolutely necessary" to prevent the escalation of the tension from breaking out into riots.
While there has been underlying tension among people of different ethnic groups, especially in recent weeks, much of it has been generated by government policies and by the squabbling among the racially organized political parties of the National Front
In recent months Mahathir has been deliberately allowing, indeed nurturing, racial tensions to draw attention away from other pressing economic and social problems like unemployment and economic stagnation.
The prime minister has promised to maintain the system of parliamentary democracy, even while saying that the period of liberalism is over. In fact the recent police crackdown and associated government moves have substantially wiped out most of the vital institutions of democracy. Resemblance to a police state
Malaysia today already resembles a police state. The 93 detainees were arrested under Section 73(1) of the Internal Security Act, which enables the police to detain anyone for a period of up to 60 days. Detainees are put in solitary confinement in harsh prison conditions and interrogated for several hours at a time. period, or to release them. The two-year period can be renewed — some individuals have been detained without trial for up to 15 years.
In this all-enveloping atmosphere of extreme tension and fear, it is very difficult for those remaining out of prison to protest against the detentions. There is the fear that anyone voicing criticism of the arrests will themselves be arrested. Indeed, several people who were in the process of defending some of those detained were themselves arrested a few hours later.
despite such difficulties, several individuals and groups have publicly protested against the detentions. The most influential criticism has come from Malaysia's first prime minister and "father of independence", Tunku Abdul Rahman, who stated: "This is undemocratic and I deplore the attitude of the prime minister....It portends ill for the future of the country. What the future will be is difficult to answer. I cannot see how parliamentary democracy can be maintained."
The Bar Council, to which all the coun try's lawyers belong, also issued a state"extremely serious matter."
A grouping of 14 social organizations in Kuala Lumpur - including the Social Science Society, the Association of Women Lawyers, Insan, Aliran and Young Christian Workers — was formed to provide assistance to the detainees and their families. It initiated a petition campaign calling on the government to either charge those detained or release them immediately. It disputed the government's reasoning that the arrests were needed to prevent racial riots.
A similar support group has been formed from eight organizations in Penang. *
This article was compiled from reports issued by Werkgroep Maleisie/Singapore, 25 Utrecht, Netherlands.) December 21, 1987 • International Viewpoint
AROUND THE WORLD AROUND THE WORLD
INTERNATIONAL
Moscow Trials
Campaign
THE CAMPAIGN to clear the names of the accused in the Moscow Trials has been collecting signatories from all over the world (see /V 129 for full appeal and list of signatories). In each issue we are publishing the names of new supporters. You can contact the campaign c/o Michael Löwy, 34 rue des Lyonnais, 75005, Paris, France.
Latest signatories:
Greece: Editorial Board of the review
Poland: Josef Pinior, ex-president Solidarnosc in Lower Silesia, and ex-member of Solidarnosc' clandestine National Coordinating Cssn.
Switzerland: Andreas Gross, local councillor and vice-pres. Zurich Socialist
Party; François Masnata, Lausanne Univ.;
Georges Petersen, Vaud Council deputy,
Lausanne Univ.
Turkey: Yildiz Sertel, Paris Univ. * IRELAND A massive exercise in intimidation RAIDS carried out by Irish police in November allegedly looking for IRA arms caches hit a very wide spectrum of political and social activists, An Phoblacht, the Irish Republican paper reported in its December
"Its real purpose as a massive exercise in political information-gathering, surveillance and intimidation of people for their political views was clear to the vast majority of those raided. Personal letters and files, newspapers, posters and other literature were all scrutinized by Garda [police] raiders who spread their net widely, taking in many members of the public with no political involvement and many prominent individuals unconnected with the republican
Among those whose homes were raided were Matt Larkin, general secretary of the National Association of Tenants Organizations; the president of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions, Gerry Shanahan; broadcaster Donncha O Dulaing; Joe Costello of the Prisoner' Rights Organization; Ite Ní 26 Chionnaith, president of League; Ann Conway of People's Democ International Viewpoint • December 21, 1987 racy, Irish section of the Fourth International; Labhras O Murchu, president of the traditional music association, Comhaltas Ceolteoirí Eireann; Daithi O hOgain of the University College Dublin folklore department, a prominent writer in the Irish language; film-maker Bob Quin; and Jack Bennet, assistant editor of the Dublin Evening Press. Members of the Communist Party and the Labour Party were also reportedly harassed.
Republican representatives said that the raids were so extensive that they suggested that the hidden agenda of the British and Irish governments might include the introduction of massive interment of political suspects. Internment was introduced in Northern Ireland in August 1971 and maintained until May 1972. It was preceded by what appeared to be joint preparations by the British and Irish governments, but the explosion it touched off in the North threw a scare into the Dublin government. objectives of the recent raids was to try to isolate the revolutionary anti-imperialists by intimidating anyone who might sympathize to some extent with any of their ideals or goals. * UNITED STATES leaders of the US Fourth Internationalist group Socialist Action on the meaning of the revelations for the American antiintervention movement. The book can be ordered from The Walnut Publishing Company, 3435 Army Street, Suite 308, San Francisco, California, 94110, USA. * SWEDEN Fourth Internationalists THE NATIONAL CONGRESS of the Socialist Party, Swedish section of the Fourth International, was held November 21-22 in the city of Köping. About 40 delegates attended, representing 13 regions, along with the members of the outgoing Central Committee, members of the organization, sympathizers and guests.
The reports and contributions reflected the working-class and trade-union roots of the organization, whose members have a growing influence in particular in the Volvo plants in Göteborg. They also reflected an important involvement in various mass movements, such as the one against racism.
Most of the debates were over the orientation for the election campaign that will take place next September. There were two counterposed draft resolutions. One, submitted by the outgoing leadership, stressed the basic axes for an election campaign in the present socio-economic context. A second draft proposed a more broadly programmatic approach. Many amendments were also proposed on specific themes. Finally, with amendments, the resolution submitted by the outgoing leadership was adopted by a large majority.
By secret ballot, the congress elected a Central Committee of 25 members, 12 of whom had not been on the previous CC. Eight members were women. The CC subsequently elected a Political Bureau of five members, including two women. In the following issue of International Viewpoint, we will publish excerpts from the political resolution adopted at this congress. *
TODAY. THE
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----- panel printed with this article -----
Book on "covert operations" GROWING SCANDALS about covert US operations against governments unloved by Washington led in October 1986 to the start of a suit for $20 million against persons — such as General Secord, well known for his testimony in the Contragate affair — who were alleged to have played leading roles in such activities. The plaintiff was the Christic Institute, an American liberal foundation. It charged that a sort of parallel politico-military com- mand, which it called "the Second Team," had been set up to conduct a clandestine aggressive international policy. A book containing the charges of this suit about US covert operations against the Sandinista government, entitled Assault on Nicaragua has now been published, edited and with an introduction by Rod Holt. (114 pp, paper- back, no price listed). It contains speeches by Daniel Sheehan, general counsel for the Christic Institute; an address to the United Nations by Nicara- guan president Daniel Ortega; and an arti- cle by Jeff Mackler and Nat Weinstein,
1987 INDEX Alliance for socialism (NS)
One year of the print strike — Hilary Eleanor
Teachers' action provokes suspensions
(Issues 112-132)
COMMUNIST PARTIES
Vietnam: A watershed party congress
Theresa York
Fight racism rally (NS)
112 26 Jan 87
9 Feb 87
113
113
9 Feb 87
116 23 Mar 87
After eight years of the "Thatcher revolution"