Letter to Prime Minister

End Crackdown on Civil Society's Right to Assembly Immediately

12 December 2007

Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) and Women’s Centre of Change Penang (WCC) are concerned with the Government's policy of crackdown on the right to peaceful public assemblies. In the latest round of arrests, approximately 2 dozen law-abiding citizens were arrested by the police for merely submitting a memorandum by BERSIH to the Parliament!

The Government's act of prohibiting members of the Rakyat from meeting their elected representatives in Parliament is worrisome, to say the least. It runs contrary to the very principles of democracy which Malaysia subscribes to, and which the Rakyat calls on the Government to uphold.

WAO and WCC share the Government's concern that peace and harmony must be maintained in this country for the benefit of all Malaysians. However, the Government's current policy of crackdown has instead created discord and disharmony in our civil society.

We strongly urge the Government and the police to end all assaults against our Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom to assemble peaceably. Furthermore, all ill-conceived charges and the repeated threats to use the ISA against all participants of peaceful assemblies should be withdrawn immediately.

Meera Samanther                                        Loh Cheng Kooi
President                                                   Executive Director
Women’s Aid Organisation                            Women’s Centre for Change Penang