Opposition leader held under Sedition Act

Opposition leader held under Sedition Act

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian police said on Tuesday they were
investigating a detained opposition leader for sedition following
his alleged call for mass protests to topple Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad's government.

Mohamad Ezam Mohamad Nor, a former political secretary to
jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, was arrested late on
Monday. He strongly denies making the call, saying he was
misquoted by a pro-government newspaper.

Police will seek a court order Wednesday to remand Ezam in
custody for further investigations, the official Bernama news
agency reported.

"Police are viewing seriously the claim and the fact that Ezam
was reported to be planning a mammoth street demonstration daily
throughout the country," said Mohamad Bakri Zinin, police chief
for the capital's Dang Wangi district.

"Street demonstrations are illegal. We will investigate under
the Sedition Act. Whatever action is unlawful... we will take
necessary action," Bernama quoted him as saying.

Ezam's reported statement threatened internal security, he
added.

In signs of a possible new crackdown on anti-government
protests, Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi likened Ezam's
reported intentions to those of the communists during the 1948-
1960 insurgency.

"The communists brought about chaos... burnt buses, trains and
destroyed property with the intention of toppling the government
and forming a new government," he said.

Abdullah said Ezam was arrested "not for his political
differences, but because of the words he uttered."

Deputy national police chief Jamil Johari warned Monday police
would "act sternly" against demonstrations. They used water
cannon and tear gas twice last month to disperse protests --
which are illegal in Malaysia without an official permit.

Sedition is punishable by up to three years' jail or a fine or
both. Three opposition figures including one of Anwar's lawyers
have been charged under the act in the past 14 months.

Two are still on trial while one was found guilty and fined.
Ezam is youth chief of the National Justice Party (Keadilan)
headed by Anwar's wife. He was detained after Sunday's edition of
Utusan Malaysia quoted him as saying that Keadilan would stage
mass street demonstrations to topple the government.

Ezam says he spoke only of planned nationwide peaceful
protests against alleged corruption and cronyism and made no
mention of trying to oust the government.

It was not clear how long police would seek to hold Ezam
before possibly charging him. Mohamad Bakri could not be reached
for comment.

The Alternative Front opposition alliance, which includes
Keadilan, said the police action was based on a report published
in a newspaper "that everybody knows is a tool of the
government."

Its spokesman Rustam Sani said in a statement the government
was using "controlled" media "to doctor news and to publish false
reports -- and based on such false news reports police arrests
would be carried out."

Ezam, in a statement shortly before his arrest on Monday,
accused Mahathir of using the media "to create a climate of fear
just to distract Malaysians from the bigger issues of corruption
and abuse of power."

Demonstrations, once rare here, have become more and more
common since Mahathir sacked his heir apparent Anwar in September
1998.

Anwar was later convicted of abuse of power and sodomy and
jailed for a total of 15 years in what he says was political
persecution. The government denies any political motive.

Ezam, 34, is already on trial under the Official Secrets Act
for releasing Anti-Corruption Agency reports of investigations
into two government supporters.

He also faces two charges punishable with jail over an
incident during a by-election last November which the government
lost.