I am just an amateur blogger, who (unfortunately) like to write about politics.
Not an expert, but I always thought that I don't need to be one to ink anything about the subject I like, politics - Malaysian politics in particular.
My biggest concern at this stage is not about how to complete an article on Malaysian politics, but rather the barrage of sedition charges against politicians (including lawmakers), activists, academic (student and lecturer), NGO leader, journalists, social media account owners and even a mosque official/religious preacher.
If I could refer to the 10 month's jail sentence imposed on a student activist Muhammad Safwan Anang for his speech about overthrowing the government, do I need to indicate here whether or not, I fear the Sedition Act 1948?.
By clear mile, behind bars is the last place I ever want to be on this earth and it scares me to death, even if it is for a day.
Though I could still exercise considerable amount of caution, prudence and self-censorship in all my articles, but with controversial issues that plague the nation and issue such as the Selangor MB (chief minister) crisis, my only concern is, getting carried away in my criticisms. What more, in the Selangor MB crisis, it involves the role of its Ruler, the Sultan of Selangor.
The only consolation I have as far as the Selangor MB crisis is concerned, is my disagreement to PKR's Kajang Move which I strongly believed, the origin to the self-inflicted crisis and it has spared me from criticizing the status quo and the royal institution.
However, despite my disagreement, I'm still concerned at the number of Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers now probed and charged under the Sedition Act for obvious reason - that I supported the Malaysian Opposition.
What would happen to them if they are convicted and fined a sum of RM2000 and above, let alone the jail sentence?
Forget not, the late Karpal Singh was convicted and fined RM4000, sufficed to disqualify him from being a serving MP, if he is alive now.
Many believed that democracy provide them the right to criticize and to question, especially, when their freedom of speech and expression is enshrined in the Federal Constitution, the highest law of the land.
Thus to prohibit them from questioning and criticizing on issues of people's interest, be it at national or the state level, they believed, is an act of "going backward" to freedom of speech and expression in this land.
They also believed, to love their country/state, do not necessarily mean that they must like their government.
Idris Jala, a cabinet minister was reported by The Star Online to have expressed his disagreement over the sedition charge against University Malaya law lecturer Prof Azmi Sharom.
It looks, Idris has joined politicians, lawyers, activists and members of the public in disagreeing and/or objecting the rampant use of Sedition Act, especially against academic.
Do I have to observe the "line"?
Seriously, I think so.
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