PAKATAN Harapan has condemned police investigations into activists for their participation in recent protests against the new government.

The PH secretariat council said in a statement the authorities should allow Malaysians their democratic right to freedom of expression and stop harassing the activists Marina Mahathir, Ambiga Sreenevasan, and Fadiah Nadwa Fikri.

“Barely two or three days after the kleptocratic government is brought back to power through a political chess game, the authorities have begun acting against the values that the PH government instilled in the last 20 months. This is highly regrettable,” the secretariat council said in a statement.

Marina and Ambiga are said to be subjects of a probe, while lawyer Fadiah was questioned at Bukit Aman today.

Fadiah is being investigated under Sedition Act and Communications Multimedia Act for her social media post urging people to attend a demonstration at Dataran Merdeka on February 29.

Marina and Ambiga had attended a protest in front of the Sogo shopping complex on March 1, the day Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as prime minister.

Meanwhile, rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said it had received information that 18 people are being investigated over both protests.

Suaram is also calling for solidarity gatherings tomorrow to protest the investigation and harassment of people for protesting.

Bersih 2.0 named 15 activists, besides Fadiah, who will also be investigated.

One of them is Sabah Bersih vice-chairman Beverly Joeman, it said in a statement. 

“Beverly will be called for investigation under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 tomorrow at 3pm at Dang Wangi police station.”

Fadiah will also be questioned again tomorrow at 1pm at the same venue, Bersih said.

Fourteen others to be investigated, according to Bersih, are Amir Hariri, Asmalif Abdul Adam, Abbas Azmi, Muhammad Faiz Fadzil, Amar Atan, Nalini, Asheeq Ali, Aishah, Azam, Takim, Renny, Dobby Chew, Ustaz Ridzuan and Marina Mahathir. 

Muhyiddin’s government was formed after a week of intense political manoeuvring by Bersatu leaders, ex-PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, Umno and PAS to form a new coalition, ousting the PH government was voted in at the 2018 general election.

PH is disputing his majority and calling for an emergency Dewan Rakyat sitting to bear out Muhyiddin’s claim of a majority among the MPs. – March 3, 2020.