Youth Group Slams Probe On Student Leader Over Anti Graft Rally

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Youth group Mandiri criticised the police for investigating a student activist who took part in an anti-corruption rally last month.
Mandiri coordinator Hamdin Nordin said the group stands in solidarity with Alyaah Hani, who has been summoned under Section 509 of the Penal Code over the “Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0” protest.
The section, which criminalises words, gestures, or objects that insult modesty or intrude on privacy, carries a punishment of jail for up to five years, a fine, or both.
Hamdin claimed that the probe against Alyaah (above), who is also the coordinator of Liga Mahasiswa Malaysia, was an attempt to intimidate and suppress students who speak out against corruption and abuse of power.
ADS“Section 509 of the Penal Code is vague, baseless, and politically charged. Who exactly feels insulted? Are critical statements against corrupt practices and a corrupt system considered an insult to modesty?” he questioned in a statement today.
“If so, it is clear that those who feel insulted are those who have no honour to begin with - the elites complicit in siphoning the nation’s wealth.
Mandiri coordinator Hamdin Nordin“Dragging students to police stations and investigating them as if they are criminals only exposes how weak the government is in the face of criticism,” he added.
Hamdin urged the police to drop their “irrelevant” investigation and called on the government to guarantee a democratic space for students and the public to speak out without fearing legal threats.
Alyaah is expected to provide her statement at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters at 2pm tomorrow.
The “Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0” protest was part of a series of rallies against corruption organised by the student-activist group Suara Mahasiswa Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
This came in response to a whistleblower’s exposé that revealed a mining licence corruption scandal in Sabah, which allegedly involved several assemblypersons, some of whom have been charged in court for bribery.
Student protestors concluded the recent 22-hour demonstration by burning a caricature of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim featuring the words “Madani protector of corrupt Sabahans”.
- Mkini

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