Banning of Fomca forum an assault on civil liberties

Aliran is deeply concerned that the police has banned a forum that was to be organised by the Federation of Malaysian Consumers’ Associations (FOMCA) to discuss the water woes affecting those in the Klang Valley.

It is tragic that ordinary Malaysians are prevented from discussing vital daily issues and problems that affect them in a country that professes allegiance to democratic principles and practices.

It is the inalienable right of every citizen to meet and discuss issues of public concern without fear or favour in keeping with the notion of a participatory democracy.

Banning such a public meeting goes against the government’s professed desire to build a thriving civil society, in which ordinary citizens are expected to politically conscious and active. It is ironic that Education Minister Najib Razak has just launched a book “Civil Society: A Preview” in Universiti Malaya on the same day the FOMCA forum was banned.

This undemocratic action only confirms the suspicion that the government is beginning to clamp down on activities that promote political consciousness among ordinary Malaysians at a time when the economy is facing a tremendous crisis.

In the economic crisis that we are now facing, the Malaysian government should try to win the people’s confidence so that the country can formulate strategies and combat its economic woes.  Preventing public discussions of important social issues is a surefire way of alienating the people and of telling them that they have no say in the way the country is run -  as if finding solutions is the sole prerogative of the politicians.

We call upon the authorities to stop acting high-handedly and allow peaceful public forums and meetings to proceed as usual. We should behave like a civil society before we proclaim to the world that we are a parliamentary democracy.

Aliran Executive Committee
Penang
3 June 1998