Lee Hup Suan And Jawahir Haji Ali – Malayan Teens Hit The World Stage, Back In The 50s

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Young Anwar Once Burned “Subversive” Book By Tunku Abdul Rahman, Student Reminds

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Last weekend, a group of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students burned a caricature of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after they closed their “Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0” rally in Kota Kinabalu.

The likeness of Anwar accompanied by the phrase “Madani Pelindung Rasuah Sabah” (Madani: Protector of Sabah’s Corrupt) was set ablaze by Suara Mahasiswa UMS, a student activist group at the university.

According to Free Malaysia Today, more than 100 took part in the rally to protest against a scandal involving the Sabah water deparment last year.

This act has prompted authorities to begin investigations into the individuals involved, under the Sedition Act and Penal Code.

Quick history lesson: The Sedition Act 1948 is a law that criminalises speech and actions that are deemed to have a “seditious tendency”. It was originally enacted by the British colonial government to suppress communist insurgents but it remains in force today.

The definition of “seditious tendency” is pretty broad and open to interpretation. Some definitions within the Act include bringing hatred or contempt against the government or its rulers, and exciting disaffection against the government, amongst other things.

Meanwhile, head of Angkatan Muda Keadilan (PKRs youth wing) Kamil Munim criticised the UMS students’ actions, calling it “barbaric” and “excessive”, Malaysia Kini reported.

Anwar took part in some political arsony himself when he was a student in the 70s

Following the caricature burning incident, a UMS student activist shared a series of photos of a young Anwar burning a book written by Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman as a way to defend the group’s actions.

“I burned Anwar’s face in Sabah because I took Anwar burning Tunku Abdul Rahman’s book as an example,” the caption wrote.

The book, titled “13 Mei, Sebelum Dan Selepas” was a perspective on the 13 May 1969 racial riot incident written by Malaysia’s Father of Independence.

However, a handful of students from the Malay Language Society of Universiti Malaya (PBMUM) viewed the book as subversive to society.

They felt that the book sent a one-sided narrative of the 13 May incident and challenged the government at the time to take accountability. However, there are those who criticised his actions for destroying historical records and impeding freedom of speech.

This led the Anwar-led language committee to hold a ceremony to bury the book by burning it in public.

The student who posted the photos commented on his own Tweet, with a tinge of sarcasm, “I think Anwar Ibrahim, after watching our video, will be moved to recall his memories at the University of Malaya in the 70s. But that’s just a feeling, my friend. The reality is that Anwar is now the Prime Minister of Malaysia, not a student activist”.

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Young Anwar Once Burned “Subversive” Book By Tunku Abdul Rahman, Student Reminds
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