LETTER | Stop the harassment against C4

LETTER | We the undersigned organisations call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the lawsuit filed by Adham Baba against the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) at once.

Transparency and accountability to the people is the hallmark of any democratic government. This can only be fulfilled if all members of the government are subjected to constant public scrutiny in the administration of the country, which includes criticism by civil society. Any allegation of misconduct should not be construed as an attack against the administration, but a collaborative effort to improve governance for the benefit of all.

It has become clear now that the administration of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government is a return to the politics of BN's 61-year rule of intimidation and suppression of freedom of speech. The RM30 million lawsuit against C4 for relaying statutory, publicly available information and for requesting transparency on the part of the minister is preposterous. The civil suit filed by the minister is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate and silence critics.

The freedom of speech and expression are enshrined in the Federal Constitution and must be respected by all parties; more so the government which is supposed to be accountable to the people. While the minister has his right to civil remedy, the lack of any attempt to publicly address the concerns raised only cast further doubt as to his integrity.

Any attempt to stifle critics in such a manner is nothing more than an insult to the peoples' aspiration for change in the 14th general elections. As Malaysian citizens, we denounce and oppose any attempts to muzzle and crack down on journalists and watchdogs through the security, legal and political apparatus of the state.

C4 is a reputable and vital organisation in our country, that has time and again revealed corruption scandals involving the highest echelons of government and contributed to Malaysia’s improvement on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI).

We reiterate the call for the Minister of Health Adham Baba to withdraw his threat against C4 and call on the administration to involve watchdogs and whistleblowers as collaborators to the ongoing investigations into the alleged corruption and possible misconduct within the Ministry of Health and censure the minister for the poor handling of the matter thus far.

The above is endorsed by:

1. Agora Society

2. Aliran

3. All Women's Action Society (Awam)

4. Association of Women Lawyers

5. Bersih 2.0

6. Beyond Borders Malaysia

7. Caged

8. Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ)

9. Community Action Network(CAN).

10. Empower

11. Engage

12. Freedom Film Network

13. G25

14. Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM)

15. Gerakan Mahasiswa Maju UPM

16. Gerakan Pembebasan Akademik

17. Growing Emerging Leaders (GEL)

18. Jaringan kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM)

19. KLSCAH Women Section

20. Maju

21. Malacca Youths and Students Evolution

22. Malaysia Muda

23. MyPJ

24. North-South Initiative (NSI)

25. OHMSI

26. Our Journey

27. Pacos

28. Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (Gerak)

29. Sabah Human Rights Centre

30. Save Rivers

31. Sisters in Islam

32. Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham)

33. Student Progressive Front UUM

34. Student Unity Front UKM

35. Tenaganita

36. Umany

37. University of Malaya Association of New Youth

38. Women Development Organisation PJ

39. Women’s Aid Organisation

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