KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya’s recent sedition blitz against its critics has succeeded in cowing Malaysians from speaking out, especially on issues deemed sensitive, say observers following a request by organisers of a public forum on Tuesday for no media coverage.

They said this climate of fear was precisely why the 1948 Sedition Act has to go and be replaced with legislation that is fair to all. Political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan, saying that he was not surprised by the forum organisers’ request, was nevertheless disappointed that it had come to a stage where people were now worried about speaking up and discussing important issues openly.

“The recent sedition blitz has succeeded in creating an atmosphere of fear among many people. Even I am careful now when I write statements or answer questions,” said the head of think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas).

At Tuesday’s forum, former Umno minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who chaired it, said the current climate in the country was unfortunate and had left many in a difficult position.

Another political analyst Dr Lim Teck Ghee felt that Malaysia was approaching a situation where vocal racists and religious bigots could get away with saying or writing with impunity. “This is a travesty of justice, which is unprecedented in our political history,” said the director of the Centre for Policy Initiatives. — by Eileen Ng/The Malaysian Insider


This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on September 19, 2014.