Number 4 2024: Madani’s true colours are coming through
This article was published January 18.
After 13 months of the Anwar Ibrahim administration, we have seen no changes in SOSMA and the defamation laws, the insistence of maintaining the quota system in education, continued political appointments to GLCs, and a clampdown on the freedom of speech. We are seeing economic policies which are not creating new wealth and sectors within the economy. They just placate the cronies and GLCs.
In fact, we have gone back to post the May 13 era, where it was forbidden to discuss the 3Rs (race, religion, and royalty). We are seeing lawfare used to silence the opposition. We have seen economic policies continuing to benefit corporations, rather than the B40. Even the Ramlah initiatives benefitted fast-food chains more than Machiks trying to sell their nasi lemak.
Two recent issues encapsulate the true colours of the Madani regime.
The first is the exemption of the imposition of capital gains tax and taxes on foreign sourced income from unit trusts on January 1. This indicates the Madani regime is favouring the rich over the poor, who are now burdened with an extra sales tax on imported items under RM 500 from online purchases.
The policy aesthetics are wrong here. The grave position of many Malaysians is being ignored, while giving token relief to the rich who can afford to pay capital gains tax. The income gap needs to be narrowed and not widened.
The second issue is the charging of the producer of the indie movie ‘Mentega Terbang’ Tan Meng Kheng. This not only stifles the freedom of expression within the arts and entertainment world, but stifles the very essence of creativity in Malaysia, which future economic growth depends upon. This also shows the influence of JAKIM upon every section of Malaysian society today.
We can only expect brain drain to continue increasing across all the racial groups in Malaysia. The Madani regime is showing itself to be the most repressive in the history of the nation. The Madani regime is showing little concern for the poor, preferring to pander to the rich and privileged. Madani appears to be adverse to the concept of wealth taxes.
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"The second issue is the charging of the producer of the indie movie ‘Mentega Terbang’ Tan Meng Kheng. This not only stifles the freedom of expression within the arts and entertainment world, but stifles the very essence of creativity in Malaysia, which future economic growth depends upon. This also shows the influence of JAKIM upon every section of Malaysian society today."
No nation has absolute freedoms of speech or expressions. They are limited by defamation laws, laws that prohibit he use of language and expression to incite hate, villification, racism (not the kindof misdescription regime change, the Chinese and Indians use to attempt to break up Malay first policies), laws against sedition (attempts to unlawfully overthrow a government), treason and the promotion of violence.
Therefore the claim that the Madani government is doing something outrageously anti democratic is more than mere exaggeration, it is an ignorant misinformed allegation and statement. It is one designed to promote villification of the Malays, the government throught its PM and sedition.
An American jurist, Oliver Wedell Holmes Jr. summed up the position quite succinctly thus:
You can't shout 'fire!' in a crowded cinema (where there is none) in the matter of Shenck vs the USA 1919. It is clear why that metaphor was used.
An English peer put it more plainly "I am free to swing my cane around me as far as it will go. But that freedom ends at the tip of my neighboours nose".
Now if these two statements by learned jurists can't convince the critics of the Madani government and the previous Barisan governments, they clearly have their heads up the rectal canals of whoever controls them.
Notice how Murray Hunter and his fellow promoters of sedition are silent on the restrictions on free speech and expression in Singapore. The hammer there has a far reach and its responses brutal and enduring. Perhaps Anwar ought to consider adopting Singapore's lessons on sedition and the promotion of lies and division.
Britain, The US (two countries driving the anti Malay campaigns in Malaysia by funding the Chinese and to some extent Inian led oppositions) have more ruthless and oppressive anti fre speech laws. Oddly writers like Murray Hunter fail to draw comparissons between those laws and ours in Malaysia for balance. Why? they don't want balance.