When legitimate dissent is repressed

Human Rights Watch in its 145-page report, “Creating a culture of fear: the criminalisation of peaceful expression in Malaysia”, detailed a “wave of repression” against dissenters under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

It is one among the many such reports telling the world of a rising trend of repression in Malaysia.

Josef Benedict, campaigns director of Amnesty International’s Southeast Asia, also weighed in on the matter.

“The government’s relentless effort to silence anyone who voices critical opinions of the state is incredibly alarming, and shows no sign of letting up. This must end immediately – space for public debate in Malaysia is under serious threat,” he said.

To some, this looks as if Malaysia’s reforms are ill-fated. It looks as if there is no hope.

Just last week we saw former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – who has become the fiercest critic of Najib’s leadership – being questioned by the police.

Offices of news portals Malaysiakini and The Star were also raided by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the police over a report on the transfer of a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy public prosecutor.

Sure, these events tell us that democratic reform is slim. But we must not forget that repression occasionally has the potential to lead to greater public involvement.

In observing the “wave of repression” in Malaysia of late, such incidents as a matter of fact have backfired, as it generated immense public outrage.  

 Apart from the rising number of movements and coalitions responding to various problems related to human rights, activists as a whole are bolder and more critical in pushing the limits of political activism.

They continuously adopt contentious tactics to push for more open participatory channels to discuss issues deemed sensitive.

“The seed of revolution is repression,” said the late American politician Thomas Woodrow Wilson. The extent of repression on society is one way to measure legitimacy.

The high level of repression that we are currently experiencing could indicate that the regime doubted its own legitimacy. This series of repression we are witnessing reveals the government’s intolerance toward dissent, ultimately undermining its legitimacy.  – November 9, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.