Some 10 policemen descended on the Parti Sosialis Malaysia sec-gen’s home in Kajang yesterday evening – see ‘PSM’s Arutchelvan arrested for sedition‘ in The J-Star.
Police arrested Arul for his remarks on the Sodomy II verdict.
Arul had issued a statement in the PSM website on 10 Feb 2015 titled ‘Political Judgement – Beyond Reasonable Doubt!‘
Looking at Arul’s statement, I suspect that it could be the phrases below which he used that might have been set the police on his trail:
- “disgraceful Judgement”
- “the courts are not independent and are politically driven”
- “put to shame our criminal justice system and Judiciary beyond repair”
- “the culprits continue to reap huge profit and immense huge power.”
- “It is time to unite against this corrupt system.”
For saying the things above, Arul is being investigated for sedition.
Let’s do a comparison
Former Bersih and current NegaraKu chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan (pix above) has said / implied pretty much the same as what Arul stated.
• Arul said, “disgraceful Judgement”
• Ambiga published in her Twitter timeline (via retweet) a Forbes article headline that said, “Anwar Jailed: A Disgrace That Damages Malaysia”
Ambiga has 43,100 Twitter followers, by the way, which is a large audience. In contrast, Arul has little impact in Twitterverse as his followers number only 910. Furthermore, he rarely tweets unlike Ambiga who is a prolific tweeter.
• Arul said, “the courts are not independent and are politically driven“.
• Ambiga’s current Twitter avatar – see below – is a logo supporting Anwar Ibrahim (as well as Karpal Singh and Major Zaidi Ahmad). Its slogan says: “Stop Political Persecution”
“Politically driven” and “political persecution” both imply similar motives by the same political authority.
• Arul said, “put to shame our criminal justice system and Judiciary beyond repair” as well as “It is time to unite against this corrupt system“.
• Ambiga published in her Twitter timeline (via retweet of Lim Kit Siang): “Tunku would be horrified by rampant corruption today and the subversion of national institutions like the police judiciary civil service.”
A comparison: Arul said our judiciary is beyond repair whereas Ambiga retweeted that our judiciary is subverted.
Arul said our system is corrupt while Ambiga retweeted that corruption is rampant today.
Their messages, here in this part, are almost identical. What do you think?
• Arul said, “the culprits continue to reap huge profit and immense huge power”.
• In reply to a question by the notorious cina™ @YouTiup asking “why is he [Shafee Abdullah] doing this shit?”, Ambiga tweeted her reply:
“Errr to prove there is no conspiracy? They protesteth too much I feel.”
Is Ambiga implying that there has been a political conspiracy in the Anwar trial, and one which compels Shafee to deflect, i.e. protest too much to “prove there is no conspiracy”?
Ambiga also published in her Twitter timeline (via retweet of Khalid Samad): “DSAI dianiaya, difitnah“.
Ambiga: “Such cruelty”, “Cruel and inhumane!”
Ambiga tweeted:
“DSAI wakes up in Sungai Buloh today. Such cruelty. Especially when some real criminals are out there living a life of luxury.”
“And now the family are not allowed to see DSAI. Cruel and inhumane!”
What is Ambiga insinuating to be “such cruelty”? Is she implying that the prison is being “cruel and inhumane” to Anwar?
Prisons have their regulations as to when family members can visit. Or is Ambiga expecting Wan Azizah to be given special treatment with regard to visitation rights?
Incidentally, is Ambiga also saying that “no prisoner should have to suffer” mosquito bites and sleep on thin foam mattresses that exacerbate ‘back pain’ (or else perhaps Anwar should be provided an orthopedic bed, eh)?
“Double standards” (I)
An individual going by the Twitter handle ‘YP Yip’ said there is “obviously double standards” in the police force.
Yip was responding to Ambiga who had tweeted:
“When Sabri and Mashitah investigated for sedition they invited to police station. People like Arul and Eric kena tangkap dan remand? Why?”
Ambiga is contrasting the treatment of Arul and Eric Paulsen, who were arrested by police squads, with the treatment of Umno minister Ismail Sabri and Umno ex-deputy minister Dr Mashitah Ibrahim, who were allowed to make their own way to the police station.
“Double standards” (II)
An individual going by the Twitter handle ‘Mugesh Jay’ said “double standard. Biased & no justice at all”.
Mugesh was responding to Ambiga who had tweeted:
“Did the police rampas the phone and computers of Sabri and Mashitah like they did to Eric and Arul and others?”
Ambiga is questioning why the phones and computers belonging to Ismail Sabri and Dr Mashitah were not seized whereas Arul and Eric’s were carted away by police.
The two twits – Yip and Mujesh – in Ambiga’s Twitter timeline were harping about police “double standards”.
Now that’s food for thought… “double standards”.
Ambiga not being questioned by police
I see a great similarity between what has been expressed by Arul and what has been expressed by Ambiga.
Social activist Arul is in the lock-up, and Ambiga believes he is being “unnecessarily detained” overnight.
The Brahmin Ambiga is meanwhile sleeping comfortably at home.
Ambiga is really not afraid of the police, it would seem. Like a movie hero (the tough guy Dirty Harry), Ambiga had challenged our PDRM – “make my day”.
Go ahead, make her day
It was reported that lawyer Shafee Abdullah took issue with Ambiga’s statement that BN made a “terrible mistake” by sending Anwar to jail. See, ‘Charge Ambiga with contempt, says Shafee‘ (Malaysiakini, 15 Feb 2015)
“Ambiga made stories that BN made a mistake by jailing Anwar”, said Shafee while adding rhetorically, “Are the courts BN?”
It sounds like Ambiga had said more or less the same or something a lot in common with what is contained in Arul’s PSM statement, and for which he (but not she) is being investigated for sedition.
Arul had said that the verdict was a “political judgement”.
And what did Ambiga say, come again? To recap: According to Shafee, “Ambiga should be charged with contempt of court for suggesting that the courts are part of BN“.
Although both of Arul and Ambiga had expressed essentially the same themes on their public platforms, Arul has been hauled up by the police while Ambiga hasn’t as yet.
Zunar: “Pray for me!”
Yes, I will.
I pray for Zunar who is being charged under sedition as in my humble opinion, he is among Malaysia’s most talented sons – bold and brave in exercising his razor-sharp wit. Umno and BN should fight him in the battlefield of ideas.
The Sedition Act is a bad law and it should not be used on Zunar.
I pray for Arul who is being investigated under sedition. He is among Malaysia’s most dedicated and committed activists, and the threat of sedition won’t faze a seasoned social campaigner like him.
I pray for Eric too who is being charged under sedition. I don’t want to see him in jail.
I won’t pray for Ambiga because there is no need. She has already challenged the police to make her day but they’re not taking any action against her.
Helen Ang 
Do you get high creating trouble for people. You will be miserable all your life if you are so black in your heart
re: “Do you get high creating trouble for people.”
Arul is in trouble and Ambiga is not.
If Ambiga is not in trouble, then neither should Arul be.
re: “if you are so black in your heart”
Naaaah, just too simple-minded maybe. Ambiga and Arul said more or less the same things. In my black-and-white brain, I’m just wondering why they’re they being treated differently.
As it is, the 53 percent of the voting public that does not support the BN as well as influential foreign critics have been complaining about the way that the Sedition Act is being used.
Lightning exposure on the dark preoccupations of al-Juburi
[YouTube]
I think that the seditions act is overly broad in its context of what’s seditious & what isn’t. The fact that most of those charged under the act are opposition figures allows the police to be accused as being selective in the prosecution. It would be good, in a way to see someone high up in BN, say Sabri be charged with it.
Having said that, Chong Chien Jen should have been charged for his insult on Negaraku being played in cinemas as well. But I don’t think the police had taken any action over those remarks.
When the decision to repeal the act was withdrawn, many accused PM of lying. I might not agree with the act but I think it is necessary given the current climate. However, to ensure that it isn’t abused, perhaps the scope needs to be refined further on what’s seditious & what isn’t.
And a reason why BN is failing miserably at winning the younger voters, i.e in their 20s-30s is their inability to articulate their arguments, with or without basis, in the court of public opinion. This is unlike DAP & to an extent PKR who are brilliant in utilising social media as well as conventional talks to hoodwink their ardent & passionate supporters.
Let’s be honest, even someone with limited abilities & intellect like Hannah can be a celebrity of sorts in the longing eyes of her sheeple. It’s cult of personality nor ability I assure you.
re: “And a reason why BN is failing miserably at winning the younger voters, i.e in their 20s-30s is their inability to articulate their arguments, with or without basis, in the court of public opinion. This is unlike DAP & to an extent PKR who are brilliant in utilising social media as well as conventional talks to hoodwink their ardent & passionate supporters.”
Absolutely. Umno was unanimous in wanting the Sedition Act retained. Without it, the DAP would eat Umno alive and by extension, the Chinese gobble up the Malays.
Helen,
UMNO members with exception of Najib want Sedition Act maintained. and they have good reasons for their decisions. Abolishing the act will not bring Chinese votes. Only Najib does not realise about it.
Instead, abolishing it will bring greater insult to Malay and whatever they cherish such as royal institutions, islam. In crude language, without the act, those worshipping DAP will have a field day running down Malays, Islam, Raja raja, Uitm among others.
But of course Najib does not see that way. Simply because to him there is no reason to be angry even one insult Prophet Muhammad SAW, his wife, Islam or anything that remotely resembles Malay aspiration.
Najib confused “cool” with weaknesses. A person who does not act when his wife insulted is “dayus”.
When a leader loses his true values then the people wander around in confusion and frustration is felt all around.
Ambiga is “a woman scorned”. She lobbied to be a judge but was not entertained by Abdullah Badawi. She is taking her revenge now.
How could she ever be a judge with a character like this?
That’s the popular rumour going around. Is it proved though?
It seems that Ambiga is your bête noire (pun intended).
So, it’s nothing to do with her religion or the colour of her skin or her ethnicity.
I am glad we got that cleared up.
Because there’s nothing like a spot of racism to mar the spirit of the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities.
Now let’s take the case of this cop called Sirul who is languishing (or sitting pretty in an Australian lockup). From what he has been reported have said recently, it seems that he is veering perilously close to sedition (in the Malaysian context, at least).
So, will Sirul be charged (in absentia) with sedition?
Arul and Ambiga said more or less the same things.
If Arul is being questioned, then it’s perplexing as to why Ambiga is not.
If Ambiga is not being questioned, then it’s perplexing as to why Arul is being investigated.
Did you ask the powers-that-be why there is this apparent discrimination?
Are you alleging that “favouritism” is in play here?
Let’s not be coy about our words.
re: “Let’s not be coy about our words.”
Everyone ought to be careful in the way we phrase our words, no?
Really?
I note that you don’t seem to follow your own “golden rule”?
Why? Maybe you subscribe to the notion that as a blogger, you are somehow exempted from the rules that you prescribe for the rest of us.
A tad hypocritical, don’t you think?
I don’t know what your beef (pun intended) is with Ambiga. Maybe she’s voicing aloud sentiments that are anathema to your worldview.
Like how some of us view Ridhuan Tee’s asinine comments on the female form unclothed!
How so?
You’re shooting blanks. Yawn.
Really? Or are you ducking the issues and evading the hard questions?
It seems suspiciously like the latter.
Double yawn.
don’t be sleepy Helen, take a look at this…
[YouTube]
She’s orchestrated and so so by leap and bounds the play cards showed when she was hoisted amongst and as a residence got to seek with the help of the police to shun off those pasar malam protesters. Apa kena this knows all lady undang-undang di buat untuk menghalalkan tidak tanduk dia seorang saja ke
dia sama Marina macam twin sisters both alikes
Speak of the devil, Arul will be released at 7pm today. And her lawyers among others are Latheefa Koya, liberal poster boy lawyer Shahredzan Johan & you guessed it; Ambiga.
There are no documents or written material to prove what Ambiga did. But there are reliable sources you can depend on, people very close to Pak Lah and some in the legal fraternity.
I have my sources who have proven time and again that rumours were based on facts. There is also the rumour of a telephone conversation between a judge and a lawyer about a once on-going case in which the judgement was given in favour of the lawyer’s client. More about that when necessary.
“Reliable sources”? Who are not willing to come out and be named?
Where have we heard this cockamamie reasoning before?
“When Sabri and Mashitah investigated for sedition they invited to police station. People like Arul and Eric kena tangkap dan remand? Why?”
Sabri and Mashitah was not investigated for sedition. But I agree memang ada double standard, Ambiga is still bebas menghasut!
-agree sedition act being abused here, as you show.
-any system can be abused because we can deceive ourselves and others into believing we are acting truthfully
-if we raise standards higher and use hints from Dr Mahathir who does not steer left or right, the protagonists on both sides left and right fail.
This double standard thing is very rampant. If you are strong and powerful big name like Ambiga, LKS, LGE etc, you can say anything you want.
But if you are a small fly like Arul, better watch your statements as the authorities only dares to take action on the small and weak.
Ambiga will get her day in court in chains. I am sure there is a reason for her being denied that opportunity yet that we no not of. But it will come