A victory for the people
Justice has been well served in the freeing of MyWatch’s Sanjeevan from remand.
Those of us who want to see Malaysian democracy prosper would have welcomed Tuesday’s decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to nullify the remand order on MyWatch Chairman R Sanjeevan . It was an indication that we still have judges with enough strength of character to maintain the judiciary’s independence from the other branches of government.
We are speaking, of course, in the context of the impending enforcement of the National Security Council (NSC) Act, which has been much criticised, especially for allegedly giving almost unfettered powers to the Prime Minister.
There is a need to reassure the rakyat that the law will not be used unjustly against them in retaliation to their criticism of the government, and that there will be due process even if the police get overzealous .
Remember that Sanjeevan was arrested under the recently amended Prevention of Crime Act (POCA). Those amendments were also severely criticised for their potential to erode our democratic rights. So it is somewhat comforting to know that there may be elements in the judiciary who will try to ensure that we continue to exercise those rights.
Sanjeevan does have his detractors, even among government critics, but there’s no denying that he has been impressive in playing his role as a whistle blower. He has concentrated his efforts on a particularly insidious form of corruption, one that involves the tangled web of the Malaysian underworld and its long reach. In doing so, he has exposed himself to great danger.
Whistle blowers play an important role in the fight against corruption in all its forms. That’s why they are often seen as people who work for the interest of the people. However, in Malaysia, they seem to get little protection from the authorities.
The courts were always meant to be independent of the influence of the executive, but Malaysians have been questioning that independence for a long time. Hence, it is refreshing to know that at least one judge is on the side of the people. Of course, there have been other judges who have proven that they are indeed independent. We hope they’ll continue to do so after August 1, when the NSC Act comes into effect.
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The freeing of Sanjeevan is nothing less than a victory for the people. For now, at least, justice has been served, and served well.