Xenophon says Malaysian democracy in ‘dire and critical state’
Australian senator, Nick Xenophon (left) seen here with Opposition Leader, Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim.
Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider
Australian senator Nick Xenophon said today that his deportation from Malaysia yesterday revealed how “dire and critical” the state of Malaysian democracy was.
The independent lawmaker was also quoted by Australian media as saying that his deportation was a “big mistake” as it had backfired on Putrajaya.
“But if it means more Australians in the region are aware of how dire and critical the state of Malaysian democracy is and how Malaysian democracy is at the crossroads, then that unambiguously is a good thing,” Xenophon was quoted today as saying by Australia’s national broadcaster ABC News.
“Australia and Malaysia are the greatest of friends. This shouldn’t affect the relationship but I think if the Malaysian government thought that they were doing the smart thing, I think it spectacularly backfired on them,” he added.
Xenophon also said that Australia had a moral obligation to intervene in the coming Election 2013 to ensure that it was clean and fair, despite the polls having a “veneer of democracy”, according to Australian newspaper Herald Sun.
“Millions of Malaysians see Australia as a shining beacon of democracy in the region and seek our help for independent election observers,” he said.
Australia’s former prime minister Kevin Rudd has condemned Xenophon’s detention as unacceptable and urged Canberra to be “robust” in response.
Xenophon arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning to call on Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, de facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz and Election Commission (EC) officials next week, but was detained at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang and subsequently deported late at night.
Xenophon was to review the country’s electoral system with a delegation of other Australian MPs and senators that would arrive later, but his colleagues have cancelled the trip in response to his deportation.
Immigration Department director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said yesterday that Xenophon was deported and barred from entering Malaysia under the Immigration Act 8(3) because the senator had made statements that allegedly tarnished Malaysia’s image.
