I was saddened to read the plea by blogger Hussein Hamid, the legendary Steadyaku47 today on his blog. Hussein was one of the influential bloggers who fought the good fight for Pakatan Harapan. He kept exposing the wrongs of the Barisan Nasional government for 10 years, and exposed issues most others were afraid to talk about.
Under Ismail Sabri’s tenure as prime minister, sedition charges were laid against Hussein for political reasons. Ismail Sabri was the person who started investigations against former attorney general Tommy Thomas for sedition, which was Ismail Sabri’s favorite political tool against his political adversaries.
Hussein, under pending sedition charges would be arrested upon arrival at KLIA, or not even allowed onto the flight to Malaysia by the airline. Hussein is not the only blogger who is in trouble with the authorities. It is believed blogger Mariam Mokhtar, a Malaysian citizen is blacklisted from returning to Malaysia.
These bloggers are Malaysian citizens, who many consider are patriots. The worst punishment ever given to a Malaysian is forbidding them to return to their Tanah Air, their true home.
Some years ago, I fought the Australian Government hard to grant a visa to political activist Haris Ibrahim. Haris was to give a public lecture at the Australian National University (ANU), but the Abbot government refused him a visa. After putting his case, the minister at the time saw his error and granted a visa.
Mr Anwar, its time to bring these bloggers home freely, so they too can see your government from inside the country. Call an amnesty so they can come home.
Three quotations for PMX to ponder.
The first by Thomas Paine.
" The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its Government".
The second by Confucius.
" Once you realise a mistake or a wrong has been done, and if you do nothing , then you are making another mistake or wrong."
And the third, in the Holy Quran :
On the authority of Abu Sa`eed al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue; and if he is…
Thank you Murray for this posting . It’s important to remember that bloggers who are currently living abroad may have left the country for various reasons, including political persecution or the need to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
While it would be beneficial for them to see firsthand the changes and progress that are happening within the country, it's equally important to ensure that they can return safely and without fear of persecution.
I believe that a more comprehensive and thoughtful approach is needed to address the situation. Perhaps amnesty could be considered as one part of a larger effort to create a more open and inclusive society for all Malaysians