Skewed definition of national threats
What makes one harmful to national security and public order? Does the person need to brandish weapons and force his way into our borders?
Shuman Vasu, Free Malaysia Today
In Putrajaya’s view, a pen wielding journalist can also be a threat to national security. According to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Al-Jazeera journalist Mary Ann Jolley was barred from entering Malaysia because her actions can be “harmful to national security and public order.”
Jolley produced a documentary which purports to tell the story behind the killing of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. Among the claims she made is that there are still many unanswered questions about the murder despite the case having been cleared by the courts.
Jolley was deported from Kuala Lumpur on June 14, with the Home Ministry saying that her activities had “potential negative effects on the image of Malaysia.”
Putting aside the question of whether the claims made in the documentary are true, how dangerous could Jolley really be to our security? Was she planning to detonate a bomb planted in her pen or camera? Or was she considered dangerous because her claims struck too many nerves?
Let’s look at some real threats to national security and public order that our authorities have failed to pay enough attention to.
Bigots like Jamal Md Yunos and Ali Tinju. Men like these are allowed to run riot with their racially charged comments and threats of bloodshed just because they are aligned to the right camp. In an ideal world, they would be put behind bars.
Politicians allow characters like Jamal and Ali to thrive. Bigotry thrives because of support and funding from people like these politicians.
