Mr. Anwar: Please grant amnesty to those bloggers who helped you

Its time for fairness. Let them return to their Tanah Air

I was saddened to read the plea by blogger Hussein Hamid, the legendary Steadyaku47 today on his blog. Hussein was one of the influential bloggers who fought the good fight for Pakatan Harapan. He kept exposing the wrongs of the Barisan Nasional government for 10 years, and exposed issues most others were afraid to talk about.

Under Ismail Sabri’s tenure as prime minister, sedition charges were laid against Hussein for political reasons. Ismail Sabri was the person who started investigations against former attorney general Tommy  Thomas for sedition, which was Ismail Sabri’s favorite political tool against his political adversaries.

Hussein, under pending sedition charges would be arrested upon arrival at KLIA, or not even allowed onto the flight to Malaysia by the airline. Hussein is not the only blogger who is in trouble with the authorities.

These bloggers are Malaysian citizens, who many consider are patriots. The worst punishment ever given to a Malaysian is forbidding them to return to their Tanah Air, their true home.

Some years ago, I fought the Australian Government hard to grant a visa to political activist Haris Ibrahim. Haris was to give a public lecture at the Australian National University (ANU), but the Abbot government refused him a visa. After putting his case, the minister at the time saw his error and granted a visa.

Mr Anwar, its time to bring these bloggers home freely, so they too can see your government from inside the country. Call an amnesty so they can come home.

Hussein’s full statement is below:

Now that PH is in government...

I have been blogging for 13 years. Thirteen years of writing in support of the opposition. Thirteen years of work, toil and focus towards one matalamat...the fall of BN and the taking of government by the opposition - by Pakatan Harapan. Thirteen years of commitment, never wavering and waiting for the time when the opposition takes government. I have always believed that it will happen, and twice it has happened.

When it first happened at PRU14 I was ecstatic. I continue to write in support of Pakatan Harapan. I continue to focus on making change happen. Even then, I already had two arrest warrants against me issued during Najib's tenure as PM. I believed that in time, those arrest warrants would be set aside by Pakatan Harapan and I would be able to come back to KL. So I waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing happened. And then PH lost government.

And so again I started writing in earnest, in support of the Opposition. Work, toil and focus towards one matalamat...the fall of BN and the taking of government by Pakatan Harapan.

Now Pakatan Harapan is in government and BN is not.

And I am still waiting to go home to KL. And I am still waiting for this Pakatan Harapan government to do what it has to do to enable me to go back without the threat of arrest hanging over my head. I am still waiting for this Pakatan Harapan to put into place measures to ensure that anyone in my Tanah Air can access what I write. Nothing.

And when this Pakatan Harapan government tells us that SOSMA is still needed to ensure that the nation's security is not threatened, I know that the writing is on the wall for bloggers like me and others of my genre - that this Pakatan Harapan government is telling us....you are on your own.

BUT...I do not think I am on my own. I do not feel that we bloggers and others of our genre will be accepting of our lot. We will continue to write. We will continue to survive, as we have survived through thick and thin - depending on no one else, but ourselves.

Enough said.

Subscribe Below: