TJ ringkas sahaja:

TIADA PLETFOM UNTUK DIKTATOR MAHATHIR

(No Platform for Dictator Mahathir)

Gabungan Kump. Hak Asasi Manusia di Eropah dan NGO Alam Sekitar serta penduduk yang perihatin di Eropah hari ini menyeru CUMAS membatalkan serta merta jemputan kepada PM, Mahdey untuk bercakap di kongres "Malaysia di Abad Baru".

Mahdey tidak wajar diberi laluan kerana beliau terang2

- mencabuli hak2 kemanusiaan,
- menodai alam sekitar dan
- kebebasan bersuara.

Mahdey juga membiarkan jenayah terhadap kemanusiaan meningkat. Beliau menundukkan para penunjuk perasaan aman dengan kekerasan. Menangkap dan mengugut parti pembangkang dengan akta ganas ISA yang membenarkan penahanan tanpa perbicaraan.

Dia juga menekan rakyat dengan akta Hasutan, akta Mesin Cetak, dll lagi. MP Lim Guan Eng dipenjarakan kerana mahukan keadilan kepada seorang budak bawah umur yang dirogol oleh bekas KM Melaka, orang kuat Mahdey. Dia juga menghukum Irene Fernandez kerana Irene memperjuangkan pencabulan hak asasi pendatang asing.

Serangan lebam yang tidak berperi kemanusiaan oleh bekas KPN berlaku semasa Mahdey sendiri menjadi Menteri DSalam Negeri menyerlahkan lagi manipulasi politik Mahdey.

Kekerasan polis yg berterusan terhadap penunjuk perasaan aman tidak menunjukkan Mahdey ingin menghormati hak2 kemanusiaan.

Tidak dilupakan juga jenayah2 ganas terhadap penduduk asli di Sarawak yang dilakukan oleh pihak berkuasa Sarawak, yang berganding dengan syarikat kroni serta polis cuba menghalalkan penodaan terhadap orang asli di sana.

Setengah dari orang asli tersebut telah ditembak mati, seperti misalnya pada Disember 1997, di Bakong, Miri. Sampai kini pembunuh itu masih bebas berkeliaran.

Banyak lagi jenayah pencabulan hak2 kemanusiaan berlaku bila proses pembalakkan dilakukan dengan rakusnya sambil menyahkan orang asli di sana. Kumpulan orang Penan di Ulu Baram, Miri, telah dikasari polis yang menolong 'membenarkan' pencari balak datang ke hutan rimba untuk memusnahkan kediaman orang asli ini dengan ganasnya.

Sila rujuk lapuran "Tiada pembangunan Hanya Pencurian - Kenyataan Suku Kaum Penan di Sarawak" yang diterbitkan oleh NGO Sarawak IDEAL.

"Jika Mahathir asyik mengatakan bahawa Negara Dunia Ketiga sewajarnya dibenarkan menentukan arah hala tuju diri nya sendiri, maka orang asli seperti kaum Penan itu sepatutnya dibiarkan tanpa dinyahkan"

"Mahathir boleh tidak mengatakan sesuatu kepada badan antarabangsa sedangkan pada waktu yang sama tidak perihatin kepada kehendak rakyat dibumi Malaysia sendiri - melainkan beliau sengaja mahu dilable sebagai seorang yang hipokrit!"

Kami mengutuk keras kedatangan Mahdey dan ingin menyatakan bahawa beliau tidak diingini di sini.

Pihak penganjur dan universiti Cambridge hanya akan memalukan diri mereka sendirijika membenarkan orang politik jijik seperti Mahdey bercakap di atas pentasnya.

Press Statement

29th September 2000

"No Platform for Dictator Mahathir"

A coalition of European Human Rights and Environmental NGOs and concerned residents in Europe today call on the Cambridge University Malaysia Society (CUMAS) to immediately withdraw the invitation for the Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir to address the conference "Malaysia in the New Millennium."

This coalition is against giving any platform to Mahathir to speak due to his very poor record on human rights and environmental issues in Malaysia over the past 20 years.

The Coalition stands firm in its belief that no platform should be given to an authoritarian leader like Mahathir, who violates human rights with impunity and who wears his anti-environmental credentials on his shirt sleeves. The issue of free speech does not arise in regard to Mahathir when he himself denies freedom and rights to Malaysians.

Mahathir has shown himself to be a gross abuser of human rights by allowing increasing human rights violations to take place under his administration. Mahathir continues to be instrumental in the crackdown of peaceful demonstrators, opposition politicians and civil society advocates under the country's various draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows for unlimited detention without trail.

There have also been uses of other draconian laws such as the Sedition Act, Printing and Presses Act and others to prosecute opposition, NGOs and printers of opposition publications. Examples include the jailing of former opposition MP Lim Guan Eng for wanting justice done to the then underage girl alleging rape by the then Chief Minister of Malacca state who was a close associate of Mahathir, the prosecution of Ms Irene Fernandes for blowing the whistle on human rights abuse against migrant workers from other third world countries, and the current trials of opposition figures under the above laws.

In addition, there have been various well-founded allegations of physical and psychological torture of detainees during the initial 60-days detention allowed under the ISA. Detainees have also been denied legal representation.

These heinous laws have been used repeatedly by Mahathir against his political opponents and also against those who support the rights of indigenous communities to land and forests.

The recent high-profile assault of the former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim while under police detention by the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) occurred directly under Mahathir's responsibilities as the then Home Affairs Minister and the double standard of light-charge against the ex-IGP brought to shame the political manipulation of Mahathir.

Continuing police brutality against peaceful protestors and the inaction of the relevant authorities only confirms the lack of respect for basic human rights by the Mahathir regime.

More unnoticed but nonetheless equally serious human rights abuses continue in the East Malaysian State of Sarawak against peaceful indigenous communities. Sarawak State, in collaboration with private companies, have consistently called on the police to frustrate, intimidate and imprison indigenous communities against their rights to land and to forest produce.

Those who stand up for their rights to protest against their land rights being infringed have consistently been targeted.

Some members of the indigenous communities have even been shot dead. For example, the December 1997 incident in Bakong, Miri Division, resulted in the death of an indigenous person. To date, there is still no official investigation to determine and punish the perpetrators of that injustice.

There are many more reports of human rights abuses as a direct result of unsustainable logging operations in Sarawak. More often than not, corruption and disregard for fundamental rights of people are the norm in Sarawak's forest sector.

A group of Malaysian NGOs on a fact finding mission has detailed how the Penan people of Ulu Baram in the Miri Division have been grossly mistreated by the police stationed to protect timber companies who continue to this day to destroy the forest home of the people.

We refer to the just published "Not Development but Theft - Testimonies of the Penan Communities in Sarawak" published by the Sarawak based NGO IDEAL (Institute for Development and Alternative Living).

The report hears testimonies and accounts of the Penan people in their struggle against invading logging firms and the mistreatment they face from the companies and the paramilitary police stationed to protect the loggers.

(The full report can be downloaded from http://www.rengah.c2o.org/announce/20000728a.htm )

Mahathir must respond positively to the present continuing protests of the Penan in Sarawak and act immediately to prove that human rights are valued in Malaysia. He should also act to prevent further abuses and end environmental destruction and deforestation by logging companies in Sarawak immediately.

"Just as Mahathir is fond of saying how the Third World should be allowed to determine its direction, the indigenous people like the Penan should also be allowed self-determination."

"Mahathir cannot say one thing to the international audience while disregarding the situation in Malaysia unless he wants to be recognised as a hypocrite!"

There is no "Malaysia in the New Millennium" if unjust and undemocratic laws continue to curtail people's freedom and oppress the indigenous communities who speak their mind, and there can be no progress when the nation's wealth is used to bail out cronies of ruling political leaders, both nationally and in Sarawak.

This coalition condemns Mahathir's visit and reiterates that he is unwelcome.

The organisers and Cambridge University, which will be hosting the conference, will only discredit themselves for allowing authoritarian politicians like Mahathir to speak on their premises.

Statement Concludes.

Endorsed by:

1. Forest Monitor, UK (www.gn.apc.org/fmonitor)
2. Bruno Manser Foundation, Switzerland (http://bmf.ch/links.html)
   
3. FERN, UK/Europe
   
4. Forest People's Programme, World Rainforest Movement, UK (http://www.wrm.org.uy/english/)
5. Pro Reganwald, Germany
   (http://www.pro-regenwald.org/)
   
6. The Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples, The Netherlands
   

Forests Monitor
69A Lensfield Road
Cambridge, CB2 1EN
U.K
Tel: + + 44 1223 360975,
Fax: + + 44 1223 359048
email: fmonitor@gn.apc.org,
web:www.gn.apc.org/fmonitor