‘Unity government’ should welcome criticism

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Anwar Ibrahim with other coalition leaders in government – AFIQ HAMBALI/PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

It is refreshing to note that Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching recently denied claims that the “unity government” could not be criticized.

The statement was made against the backdrop of the government taking certain measures such as blocking a social media platform and initiating legal action to stem the tide of hate speech expressed after the general election.

In particular, online video platform TikTok removed 1,126 videos after the Department of Communications and Digital raised concerns about what it considered provocations, misinformation and extreme views.

Hate speech has been widely circulated on social media, particularly in the run-up to the recent general elections, raising fears that the fault lines in Malaysia’s diversity have deepened further after some politicians and their supporters shrewdly exploited race and religion for their own ends.

While such a repertoire of hate speech is a valid concern, Malaysians who cherish democracy have every right to be concerned about any government attempt to restrict freedom of expression.

Indeed, experience has shown that excuses such as “national security” and “social order” have been misused by previous governments to justify the violation of democratic rights and the repression of dissent.

The current government should be judicious in the application of certain laws which could stifle freedom of expression.

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In the interests of fundamental rights and justice, social activists have called on the government to initiate comprehensive law reform and to amend or repeal laws such as the Sedition Act 1948, the Communications Act 1998 and Multimedia, the Official Secrets Act 1972, the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

We would be off on the wrong foot if we argued that the “unity government” should be immune to criticism, especially constructive criticism, simply because it is a relatively new administration made up of coalitions of divergent ideologies and preferences and therefore would need time to adapt and stabilize.

Besides, any government worth its salt should be confident enough to respond to criticism and dissenting or contrary opinions from various quarters, especially regarding its policies and actions.

Certainly, we are not talking about cheap personal attacks on government leaders, like the one executed by opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the first session of the current parliament.

We would expect Anwar to welcome and address criticisms or alternative views from Hamzah, among other MPs, regarding, for example, how to deal with the pressing challenges of high inflation, sluggish economy and unemployment.

Putrajaya’s decision, for example, to place a one-stop shop for recruiting foreign workers under the Ministry of Interior – instead of the Ministry of Human Resources – deserves criticism from stakeholders.

After all, Anwar himself gave the impression during his recent intellectual exchange with a group of 70 Malaysian professors (who lent political support to Anwars’ appointment as prime minister), and members of the ‘Akademi Sains Islam Malaysia Malaysian Islamic Science Academy) and the Darul Institute. Ehsan to Seri Perdana that he appreciates differing viewpoints and a challenge to conventional wisdom in the pursuit of truth, justice and the nation’s progress.

We hope people like Ramesh Rao, Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi’s new Special Officer for Indian Community Affairs, will not oppose the criticism leveled at the government.

Organization leader Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin was known during the Najib Razak administration for his regular police reports against government critics. We can only hope that Ramesh will eventually see the folly of his past behavior.

Drawing inspiration from Anwars’ supposed openness to criticism, public universities, which are funded by taxpayers, should also be intellectually vibrant enough to provide space for criticism and dissenting viewpoints.

Therefore, satirists such as Fahmi Reza should not be treated like thugs by universities.

It is disturbing to see the leadership of some public universities easily undermined by the mere presence of individuals who express opinions critical of the government or against the universities.

Criticism and dissent are part of the democratic process that the government must respect. – Malaysian Insight

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