Charles Santiago
The recent summoning of civil society actors and commentators for police questioning under allegations of “activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy” raises serious concerns about the direction of democratic freedoms in Malaysia.
Most recently, Pushpan Murugiah, the CEO of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Centre), was called in for police questioning after his name allegedly appeared in an email connected to an ongoing investigation.
Such actions risk creating the perception of a witch hunt rather than a legitimate law enforcement exercise.
These developments also point to the steady shrinking of democratic space.
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Civil society organisations, academics, journalists and policy advocates play a crucial role in strengthening democratic institutions by questioning power and raising issues of public interest.
Subjecting such voices to criminal investigation for their views or perceived associations undermines that role – and sends a troubling signal about the boundaries of acceptable public discourse.
Equally concerning is the climate of fear that such investigations can generate.
When activists, researchers or commentators see others called in for questioning simply because their names appear in correspondence – or because they have spoken critically about governance – many will inevitably choose silence over participation.
A democracy cannot flourish when those engaged in public debate must constantly weigh the risk of legal repercussions for expressing their views.
For this reason, it is vital for the relevant authorities to draw a clear line between legitimate threats to constitutional order and the ordinary exercise of free expression.
Investigative powers should not be used in ways that appear to intimidate or discourage civic participation.
Malaysia’s democratic progress has been built on the willingness of ordinary people to speak, critique and hold power to account. That space must be protected, not narrowed.
Charles Santiago is the former MP for Klang.
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