PKR leaders slammed Prime Minister Najib Razak's government for deporting Australian Senator Nick Xenophon for allegedly being a security risk, describing the move as "ridiculous" and reflective of the Malaysian leader's paranoia ahead of general elections that may be announced as early as next week.
"How can Xenophon be a security risk to Malaysia, how do we quantify or define what is a security risk? Bu making such a rash move, Najib is taking Malaysia further away from the international community," Tan Kee Kwong, a senior leader in the PKR party led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim told Malaysia Chronicle.
"Najib and BN would do well to remember, win or lose the general election, Malaysia as a nation has to go on. He must stop turning the country into a laughing stock. Just days ago, it was Dr Pornthip and Thai government; not to mention Psy and the death threats against him. Today it is Nick Xenophon. Najib might as well put out an ad in the international press that any one who does not slavishly praise the BN to the skies are not welcome to Malaysia."
Warning, warning: Massive cheating in GE13
Kee Kwong's hard-hitting words were well echoed by Malaysian civil society leaders, who expressed shock at the latest turn of events. Xenophon had impressed Malaysians during a 2011 trip to Malaysia where he was among the international panel invited to observe the BERSIH 2.0 rally for free and fair elections.
He was here to meet Anwar on Monday as well as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz and officials from the Election Commission on Tuesday.
"This is embarrassing, Najib is becoming a real comedian. He talks about democracy and moderation and on the other hand he is deporting whoever has an opposite view to his. On what law is he detaining Xenophon, SOSMA the new ISA?," asked Zuraida Kamaruddin, the PKR Women's chief and MP for Ampang.
"Xenophon's detention also shows there are grave grounds to be worried about massive electoral fraud in GE13. He must be really worried about Anwar, Pakatan Rakyat to make such a move. We need now to galvanize the people to demanding clean polls. Obviously, something fishy is up."
An enemy of the state
Xenophon had criticized the Malaysian authorities for its brutal crackdown on the thousands of civilians who attended the July 9, 2011 march organized by BERSIH.
In a vindictive move, the New Straits Times daily, which is controlled by Najib's Umno party, had falsely accused Xenophon of describing Islam as a “criminal organisation” during a 2009 speech made in the Australian Parliament. Amid public outcry in both Malaysia and Down Under , the NST apologized for its bare-faced twisting of Xenophon's speech and the Senator is still contemplating whether to sue or not.
“According to Immigration, he’s a security risk and they are just acting on orders from above,” Ibrahim Yaacob, Anwar's chief of staff, had told the press.
Apart from Xenophon, other Australian senators and MPs are due to arrive on Sunday to observe Malaysia’s electoral system, even as Election 2013 draws near.
“I am effectively a prisoner here,” Xenophon, who managed to make a phone call home, was quoted as telling Australian newspaper The Sunday Mail.
“I’m being held in an area with all these holding cells which are full of women. They have basically told me I am an enemy of the state. They are trying to get me on the next plane out of here and back home. I was even meeting members of the government, I mean, the whole situation is ridiculous, we are meant to be the closest of friends with Malaysia. We are meant to be having a people swap deal on asylum seekers but so far it looks like the only person being swapped is me.”
Malaysia Chronicle
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