Umno used veiled threats on Suqiu, rights leader claims
Susan LoonePublished: Jan 11, 2001 11:19 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
The decision by the Suqiu committee to "set aside" their seven election sub-points was the result of "veiled threats" by Umno Youth, said human rights group Suaram today.
Suaram director Dr Kua Kia Soong said that the whole Barisan Nasional government and the police must be held responsible for legitimising this equivalent of "fascist threat" by claiming that there was a "racially tense situation" prevailing in the country.
"All peace and democracy-loving people could see that there was no racial tension recently," said Kua in a press statement to malaysiakini today.
"The only (racial) tension was created by Umno Youth," he added.
Last week, Suqiu (Malaysian Chinese Organisations' Election Appeals) and Umno Youth conducted several closed-door meetings to iron out Suqiu's [#3]17-point election appeals[/#] which had been endorsed by more than 2,000 organisations.
On Friday, both groups decided to "set aside" seven out of 83 sub-points which are considered "sensitive", citing prevailing ethnic tension as a primary consideration.
They said they were committed to discuss the other 76 sub-points and work towards realisation of the ones that can be mutually agreed upon.
Laughing stock
Kua, who is also a member of the Chinese educationist group Dong Jiao Zong, said that Suqiu's election appeals had been released prior to the last general elections in 1999 and BN had "accepted them in principle".
"These appeals are perfectly legitimate democratic appeals and we have made our country once again the laughing stock of the world by allowing such an irrational response by Umno," said Kua, who is currently the principal of New Era College, Kajang.
"How they (Suqiu) can now be interpreted as a source of racial tension is stretching the imagination just a little too far.
"Suqiu means 'appeal' in Chinese and one would have expected a more 'sopan santun' (polite) response by our nation's leaders instead of their apologising for Umno Youth's threats," he added.
The appeals caused a furore after Suqiu's first anniversary on Aug 16 last year when it announced that it would be launching report cards on MPs who will be graded based on the 17-point appeal. ([#4]Annual report cards on MPs[/#], Aug 16)
Local newspaper Utusan Malaysia chose to play up the appeals, claiming that Suqiu was questioning Malay special rights.
Just two days before that, the daily frontpaged a story on National Economic Consultative Council (NECC) II deputy chairperson David Chua in which he reportedly said that the Bumiputra special privileges should be abolished; Chua later clarified that the news lead was "not in accordance with the context of the statement he gave to the Utusan journalist."
On Aug 18, Umno Youth demonstrated outside the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur, setting a deadline for Suqiu to withdraw its appeals and threatening that it (Umno Youth) would burn down the premises. ([#5]Umno Youth protests outside Chinese Assembly Hall[/#], Aug 18)
In last year's Merdeka speech, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad likened Suqiu to the "communists in the past" and the extremist Al-Ma'unah cult.
When there was no sign of Suqiu backing down, the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) threatened to stage nationwide gatherings and submitted their 100-point demand in turn, which has never been revealed in public and was purportedly given to the prime minister for his perusal.
Historic document
Kua said that Suqiu's election appeals is a historic document and a committee was formed to see to the fruition of the appeals just as the Civil Rights Committee was formed to see to the implementation of the Joint Declaration in 1985.
"However ones wishes, you cannot change these historic documents which have been painstakingly endorsed by so many organisations," he said.
"The Suqiu committee has no democratic mandate to 'tarik balik' (withdraw) any point from such a memorandum."
He said that the Chinese organisations can decide to draft and endorse another memorandum if they wish in the future which excludes any contentious point.
He lambasted Umno's claim that Suqiu is challenging the constitution, pointing out that the BN government has changed the Malaysian constitution many times over without batting an eyelid.
Kua said that the same threat was used before the 1987 Operasi Lalang which resulted in 105 social and political activists being detained under the Internal Security Act.
Resignation call
Meanwhile, the 13 original Chinese organisations which drafted Suqiu's 17-point appeal will meet in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow and they are expected to discuss reactions to the "setting aside" of the seven sub-points following the Suqiu-Umno Youth meetings recently.
Many quarters including a group of Chinese youth and graduates organisations have questioned Suqiu's decision which apparently had been made without consultation with the more than 2,000 other Chinese organisations which had endorsed the appeals.
KL and Selangor Graduates Society spokesperson Chew Chong Sin had on Monday even called on the Suqiu committee members to resign.
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Suaram director Dr Kua Kia Soong said that the whole Barisan Nasional government and the police must be held responsible for legitimising this equivalent of "fascist threat" by claiming that there was a "racially tense situation" prevailing in the country.
"All peace and democracy-loving people could see that there was no racial tension recently," said Kua in a press statement to malaysiakini today.
"The only (racial) tension was created by Umno Youth," he added.
Last week, Suqiu (Malaysian Chinese Organisations' Election Appeals) and Umno Youth conducted several closed-door meetings to iron out Suqiu's [#3]17-point election appeals[/#] which had been endorsed by more than 2,000 organisations.
On Friday, both groups decided to "set aside" seven out of 83 sub-points which are considered "sensitive", citing prevailing ethnic tension as a primary consideration.
They said they were committed to discuss the other 76 sub-points and work towards realisation of the ones that can be mutually agreed upon.
Laughing stock
Kua, who is also a member of the Chinese educationist group Dong Jiao Zong, said that Suqiu's election appeals had been released prior to the last general elections in 1999 and BN had "accepted them in principle".
"These appeals are perfectly legitimate democratic appeals and we have made our country once again the laughing stock of the world by allowing such an irrational response by Umno," said Kua, who is currently the principal of New Era College, Kajang.
"How they (Suqiu) can now be interpreted as a source of racial tension is stretching the imagination just a little too far.
"Suqiu means 'appeal' in Chinese and one would have expected a more 'sopan santun' (polite) response by our nation's leaders instead of their apologising for Umno Youth's threats," he added.
The appeals caused a furore after Suqiu's first anniversary on Aug 16 last year when it announced that it would be launching report cards on MPs who will be graded based on the 17-point appeal. ([#4]Annual report cards on MPs[/#], Aug 16)
Local newspaper Utusan Malaysia chose to play up the appeals, claiming that Suqiu was questioning Malay special rights.
Just two days before that, the daily frontpaged a story on National Economic Consultative Council (NECC) II deputy chairperson David Chua in which he reportedly said that the Bumiputra special privileges should be abolished; Chua later clarified that the news lead was "not in accordance with the context of the statement he gave to the Utusan journalist."
On Aug 18, Umno Youth demonstrated outside the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur, setting a deadline for Suqiu to withdraw its appeals and threatening that it (Umno Youth) would burn down the premises. ([#5]Umno Youth protests outside Chinese Assembly Hall[/#], Aug 18)
In last year's Merdeka speech, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad likened Suqiu to the "communists in the past" and the extremist Al-Ma'unah cult.
When there was no sign of Suqiu backing down, the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) threatened to stage nationwide gatherings and submitted their 100-point demand in turn, which has never been revealed in public and was purportedly given to the prime minister for his perusal.
Historic document
Kua said that Suqiu's election appeals is a historic document and a committee was formed to see to the fruition of the appeals just as the Civil Rights Committee was formed to see to the implementation of the Joint Declaration in 1985.
"However ones wishes, you cannot change these historic documents which have been painstakingly endorsed by so many organisations," he said.
"The Suqiu committee has no democratic mandate to 'tarik balik' (withdraw) any point from such a memorandum."
He said that the Chinese organisations can decide to draft and endorse another memorandum if they wish in the future which excludes any contentious point.
He lambasted Umno's claim that Suqiu is challenging the constitution, pointing out that the BN government has changed the Malaysian constitution many times over without batting an eyelid.
Kua said that the same threat was used before the 1987 Operasi Lalang which resulted in 105 social and political activists being detained under the Internal Security Act.
Resignation call
Meanwhile, the 13 original Chinese organisations which drafted Suqiu's 17-point appeal will meet in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow and they are expected to discuss reactions to the "setting aside" of the seven sub-points following the Suqiu-Umno Youth meetings recently.
Many quarters including a group of Chinese youth and graduates organisations have questioned Suqiu's decision which apparently had been made without consultation with the more than 2,000 other Chinese organisations which had endorsed the appeals.
KL and Selangor Graduates Society spokesperson Chew Chong Sin had on Monday even called on the Suqiu committee members to resign.
Previous stories:
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