Malaysia PM’s Web Site Accused Of Racism
ICC Note: The governments statement that anyone who makes a statement against Islam will be punished for stirring up hatred has led to those who consider the decision unfair to sue the government for promoting hatred on its website.
By JULIA ZAPPEI
7/31/07 Malaysia (AP) – A Malaysian opposition party said Tuesday it has filed a police report accusing the prime minister of allowing a seditious and racist article to run on his official Web site.
Ronnie Liu, a senior member of the Democratic Action Party, said he did not actually believe Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should be charged over the two-year-old article.
The police report is meant instead to make a point about freedom of expression and to protest a recent government crackdown on bloggers, Liu said.
The government has accused bloggers of spreading false and malicious rumors to create political and racial tensions between the country’s majority Malay Muslims and minority Chinese and Indian communities.
Law minister Nazri Abdul Aziz has said the government was drafting new laws to control bloggers and would not hesitate to use existing legislation to detain bloggers who insult Islam or stir sensitive topics.
Police recently questioned Raja Petra Kamarudin, a prominent political writer, and Nathaniel Tan, webmaster for the opposition People’s Action Party, over postings on their sites
The staff of the prime minister’s office, Liu noted, failed to intercept the article on his own Web site. The article, which was posted on the condolences section after Abdullah’s first wife died in 2005, called on Malaysia ‘s Chinese to unite and weaken the Malays.
“There shouldn’t be double standards. If you want to take action against Raja Petra and Nathaniel, then you should also take action against the prime minister,” Liu told The Associated Press .
