The independence of the judiciary and rule of law have been restored under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s leadership, Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications director Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said today.
He said in a statement that the right to protest has been codified into law for the first time under the Peaceful Assembly Act and Malaysian democracy flourishes in a way that it never did under (former prime minister) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Laws that Dr Mahathir used so extensively to repress opponents, such as the Internal Security Act, have been abolished by Najib,” he said.
Rahman, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said he found it ironic for Dr Mahathir to be talking about democracy as the former prime minister openly admitted that he was a dictator when in power.
“It is even more ironic that Dr Mahathir’s new allies in the opposition seem to be taking lessons on democracy from him because the main opposition leaders, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and (Penang Chief Minister) Lim Guan Eng, were all jailed during Dr Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister,” he said.
Rahman also said that Dr Mahathir is bitter because he has failed to remove a democratically-elected government so that his son can become prime minister.
“He (Dr Mahathir) is angry that when it comes to democratic elections, he and his allies keep failing. For example, the two recent by-elections and Sarawak’s state election, which Dr Mahathir described as a referendum on the Prime Minister, saw the people give landslide victories to Barisan Nasional with even greater majorities than before.
“The people are ignoring the sad and increasingly deranged rantings of a bitter old man. After all, why would anyone take lessons on democracy from a self-confessed dictator?” he said.
Share