A Nation Awakens
More and more Malaysians are shedding their apathy and calling for justice
By Anil Netto

Strange things are happening in Malaysia as the world marks the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights this month. More and more Malaysians are shedding their apathy and starting to assert their rights. In the process, the country's political and social landscape is being irreversibly transformed.

On 4 December, for instance, heads turned in downtown Kuala Lumpur as some 300 lawyers, in solemn legal attire, marched to the Federal Court chanting "We want Justice!" Donning 'white ribbons for justice' on their black jackets, the lawyers defied a law on illegal public assemblies and poured out into the streets - without waiting for the Bar Council to decide if it should hold an extraordinary general meeting.

It was an unprecedented public display of support for a colleague, Zainur Zakaria, a member of sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's nine-member defence team. Zainur was sentenced to three months' jail for 'contempt of court' after he applied to the court to bar two prosecutors in the Anwar case for allegedly acting improperly.

The significance of the event was not lost. "These were not activist lawyers," observed one social activist, of the unusual procession. "The lawyers who were out there marching were mainstream lawyers from some of the leading legal firms in Kuala Lumpur."

Yes, something is definitely stirring in Malaysian society. Call it an awakening. We are barred from commenting on the Anwar trial. But what we can say is that, more than any recent event, the bombshells from the Anwar trial - and from the Nallakarupan and Munawar cases - have rocked the nation. The reverberations have made Malaysians sit up and wonder about the state of our nation, the integrity of our leaders, and the independence and professionalism of our institutions of government. Many, many disturbing questions are being raised.

Within Malaysia, we have much to reflect on as we pass the 50th year of the Universal Declaration, a major milestone in the history of humanity. But, for all its professed commitment to democracy, our government has not yet ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Why?

Instead, undemocratic laws such as the notorious Internal Security Act, the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act hang over our heads like so many Swords of Damocles ready to plunge into anyone who dares to speak up for justice and human rights.

Let's remember those detained without trial under the ISA. Remember those denied bail or held in remand for months as they wait for their trial dates. Remember innocent Malaysians who have been subjected to 'turning over' and 'neutralising' operations and who have had their basic rights trampled upon. Remember those arrested - and assaulted - during peaceful demonstrations in the capital. Remember Lim Guan Eng, who languishes in jail after trying to help a rape victim.

All this may make us feel morose, but at the same time we have much to be optimistic about. If anything good has come out of the Anwar trial, it is the emerging widespread realisation that our nation is in desperate need of reform, change, renewal - call it what you like. Business can never be as usual again.

We are urged to "raise our flag", to "come together for Malaysia." But "come together" for what? to do what? Our nationhood goes far beyond a mere flag. We have nothing against flags; but a flag is just a meaningless scrap of cloth if it does not symbolise far greater, deeper values on which the foundation for any civilised nation should be built - values such as justice and integrity and respect for basic human rights.

But then again, many of us are "coming together for Malaysia," perhaps not in the way that MBf, the finance company sponsoring those ads over the media, had in mind. In recent weeks, Malaysians have been raising the flag, calling for justice and for true freedom.

"What does being Malaysian mean to you?" MBf asks, before saying "there's no straightforward answer." The firm goes on to say that some of us are proud of winning Commonwealth gold medals, of having the world's tallest buildings, of "chattering in different languages." How superficial!

No straightforward answer? Oh, but there is. And it comes in a silent, universal language that can be heard deep within our beings, not in mindless chattering. Being Malaysian - or, for that matter, any nationality - should mean being passionately committed to justice, to human rights and dignity, to integrity in public life, to democracy. This is the stuff that really matters and this is what we should come together for. So, the next time MBf tells us to come together for Malaysia, consider it a public service reminder of the real reasons for coming together

And let's not get distracted by Al Gore's and George Soros' comments and the strong Malaysian government reaction. We agree no one should tell us how to run our country - after all, we are an independent nation. But we should not equate criticisms directed at certain individuals with attacks on our sovereignty. The Gores and the Soroses have a right to express their opinions - no matter how unpalatable they may be to us - just as we have the right to speak out against superpower belligerence or against injustice and human rights violations in Bosnia or Palestine.

Let no one divert our attention from the real issue confronting us: how we are going to get our nation back on track, not just economically but also politically, socially, and ethically; how we are going to introduce meaningful re forms in all aspects of public life.

The calls for reformasi and justice are nothing new. Many Malaysians and groups such as the Malaysian Human Rights Society (Hakam), Suaram and Aliran have been calling for wide-ranging reforms at all levels of society for years.

But in the wake of recent disturbing events and revelations, that call takes on an added urgency. Two new coalitions have been set up: the Malaysian People's Justice Movement (Gerak) and the Coalition for People's Democracy (Gagasan). Another movement, the Social Justice Movement (ADIL), was launched on World Human Rights Day on 10 December 1998. At Aliran's annual general assembly recently, Aliran members felt the time had come to take an unequivocal stand on the side of justice and voted overwhelmingly to join these two movements.

As we stand at a critical point in our nation's history, each of us must ask: What should be my response, my stand, to what's happening in Malaysia?