Umno Youth, what’s wrong with you lot?
Eric Paulsen
Jan 30, 07 4:50pm Adjust font size:

Umno Youth has no class! I suppose most of your readers would already know that but I was hoping to antagonise some Umno Youth members especially those who allegedly studied at the London School of Economics (hint: likes to wave a keris) or at Oxford (hint: likely to wave a keris in the future).

So what provoked this exclamation (although many would say that it is self-evident)? Umno Youth’s filing of a police report against Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah for allegedly inciting voters to boycott the Batu Talam by-election, that’s what!

Really, what is wrong with you people in the Umno Youth? Is it so difficult to respond in a civilised and mature way rather than lodging a police report? I thought you macho Umno Youth are very proud of your ‘kejantanan’ trait? Surely among you Mara, LSE and Oxford-educated members, you can articulate a reply to Sivarasa’s speech rather than lodging a police report which is closer to a less than ‘jantan’ trait.

Surely in light of the many colourful comments by Umno leaders including the PM that the boycott showed that the opposition parties are ‘cowards’ and ‘scared of losing’ – this act of lodging the police report is like the pot calling the kettle black. Tak malu ke?

Sometimes I really wonder what goes on in the heads and hearts of the Umno Youth. Really, are you so unprincipled, immoral and idiotic? What goes on in your political training or workshops? Is there a special module on how to lodge police reports against your political opponents?

If you Umno Youth do not know why it is unprincipled, immoral and idiotic to lodge the police report against Sivarasa – here are some basic arguments.

Sedition law is an old colonial instrument designed to protect the rulers/colonial masters in the bad old days. It is incompatible to democracy and modern government. As a result, sedition laws have been repealed or fallen in disuse in most states except in some lesser democracies.

The Sedition law is contrary to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees freedom of expression. Although this declaration is not binding on states, it has generally been regarded as having attained the status of customary international law.

Freedom of expression is also enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (with 149 state parties) as well as regional treaties: the American Convention on Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. Lest we forget, freedom of expression is also guaranteed in the Malaysian constitution. See Article 10.

And why is freedom of expression important? Why you silly people, it is because freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and is also instrumental in safeguarding all other rights and freedoms. After all, haven’t you heard that democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law can only work and flourish if there are debates, free flow of information and an exchange of ideas?

I know what you Umno Youth are going to say: ‘Ini semua budaya asing. Kita menghormati undang-undang negara dan sekiranya suatu kesalahan telah dilakukan, adalah menjadi tanggungjawap kami supaya suatu laporan polis dibuat untuk membolehkan pihak berkuasa menyiasat.’.

Hmm, I say to you hmm… ‘engko ni tak de klas’.