MALAYSIAN MARCH FOR REFORM

Right now, tens of thousands of people are marching and confronting the police in the city of Kuala Lumpur. This is a peaceful march to call for a reform in the electoral rolls and election system in Malaysia but it has not been treated so by the powers that be. Some members of the international arts communities have voiced out their concerns as well as to show support to the National Laureate, A. Samad Said, who was investigated by the police for reciting his poem in the launch of the said rally campaign.

Below is the joint statement by the members of the arts communities, originally scribed in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and English.

*****

July 8th 2011, Kuala Lumpur

Dear Editors:

A Joint Statement: Political Interference will lead to 50 years of backwardness in our cultural development.

We are a group of people active in the creative communities of Malaysia, who take on the task of creating new culture, to gently encourage the universal values of freedom, equality and social justice as our milieu demands. The multi-ethnicities, multicultural and multi-faiths environment of our country provides us an endless supply of creative resources, and also inspires many possible aesthetic visions, which has clearly benefited the poets, novelists, musicians, dancers, playwrights or artists et cetera.

However, the recent incidents of domestic repression of dissident voices and violation of basic human rights, have left us feeling injustice and disturbed.

As the law enforcement agency had evoked the Seditious Act and Police Act to question the National Literature Laureate A. Samad Said. We ask, has he committed a monstrous crime when the septuagenarian poet has only recited his poem Unggun Bersih at the `launch' of the BERSIH 2.0 rally? "Semakin lara kita didera bara - kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka …," as the poem runs revealing to us such poetic sensibilities as have always been who cares and feels for ones times and country. In this regard, we express our deep grievances.

We feel disturbed that after half a century of founding of the nation, the space for creative freedom has not expanded much, worse still, our lives are still shrouded in a "culture of fear". We could foresee there would be more absurd "handcuffs" and "shackles" to further clamp down on cultural producers who advocate fairness and pursuit of democracy as A. Samad Said does. We are concerned that such heavy handed political ploys will lead to 50 years of backwardness in our cultural development.

As part of the creative communities, we certainly cannot stay aloof but to issue the following statements together:

1. Self-expression: We recognize that all cultural producers have the right to choose a personal political position, and creative freedom – as in freedom of speech or personal freedom – is one of the constitutional human rights which cannot be the compromised by others. Only in a relatively free environment, could cultural producers fully realize the significance of self-expression, and he or she would not become the next victim of power game.

2. Rational dialogue: We call on the law enforcement authorities to adopt an open, fair, and professional practice with wisdom, rather than using outdated laws to disrupt the flow of rational dialogues. The poet A. Samad Said was simply expressing his longing for democracy and freedom, and not offering abusive, offensive irrational emotions. In an information age of intense interaction, attempt to demonize a good citizen means is just not feasible.

3. Clean and fair election: We support the eight demands advocated by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, such as a comprehensive clean-up of the electoral rolls, reforms of postal voting, use of indelible ink, independence of institutions and end to electoral graft et cetera. However, regrettably to date, the appeal has not yet received a positive respond by the Election Commission of Malaysia.

To conclude, while this statement is being drafted, it has been announced that the "709 Bersih Rally" is to be held in a stadium. Regardless of the consequence, we hope that all hearts and soul entrapped would be freed, and above the country would emit rays of humanistic brilliance!

A joint statement

1. Persatuan Seni Rumah Air Panas
2. Five Arts Centre
3. The Jumping Jellybeans Sdn Bhd
4. Rumah Anak Teater
5. Instant Café Theatre
6. The Parking Project
7. Komuniti `Zine Satu Malam'
8. Komuniti Frijan
9. Nur Hanim Khairuddin
10. Yee I-Lann
11. Sharon Chin
12. Chai Chang Hwang
13. Yap Sau Bin
14. Chong Kim Chiew
15. Gan Chin Lee
16. Chuah Chong Yong
17. John Rock
18. Loh Yeen Teng
19. Simon Soon
20. Joseph Foo
21. Chong Wu Ling
22. Lim Li Wen
23. Tan Ru Yi
24. Goh Lee Kwang
25. Wong Eng Leong
26. Wening Cheah
27. Au Sow Yee
28. Lim Kok Yoong
29. Loo Hoe Tiang
30. Foo Fei Ling
31. Matotytee
32. Rahmat Haron
33. Jc Wong
34. Foo Kee How
35. Koh Cheng Kuan
36. Chan Kok Hooi
37. Wong Pey Yu
38. Fahmi Fadzil
39. Amir Zainorin
40. Abdullah Jones
41. Lee Kian Seng
42. Goh Sze Ying
43. Tshiung Han See
44. Akbar A.K.A Bebe
45. Shieko Reto
46. Ezrena Marwan
47. Rachel Jena
48. Chi Too
49. Daniel Chong
50. Zedeck Siew
51. Al-Jafree Md. Yusop
52. Cik Nusratnajwani Bt. Mohammad
53. Tey Tat Sing
54. Ili Farhana
55. Roopesh Sitharan
56. Low Yi Chin
57. Tengku Sabri Tengku Ibrahim
58. Leong Ching Foon
59. Tan Ming Jie
60. Nyu Ka Jin
61. Ise Aka Roslisham Hashim
62. Hamidon Bin Ahmed
63. Christina Kang
64. Shaffiq Ahmad
65. Hasnul Jamal Saidon
66. Tan Hui Koon
67. Tan Sei Hon
68. Ng Seksan
69. Dr. Goh Beng Lan
70. Lui Thai Hong
71. Munkao
72. Chifong Foo
73. Chang Fee Ming
74. Gan How Ming
75. Patricia Leong
76. Meor Khairol Nizam Bin Meor Nazro
77. Phuan Thai Meng
78. Chai Chik Ying
79. Suzanne Chin Suk Ching
80. Jason Lai&
81. Ng Ee Ching @ Candice
82. Tc Liew
83. Suzy Sulaiman
84. Cheng Yen Pheng
85. Ahmad Syakir
86. Melissa Lin
87. Pyanhabib Rahman
88. Airmaz
89. Muhammad Tarzizi
90. Yin Shao Loong
91. Dr. Siti Zainon Ismail
92. Linus Chung
93. Snow Ng
94. Valentine Willie
95. Juria Toramae
96. Koh Nguang How
97. Leong Tzu Ann
98. Ayisha Rahman
99. Nor Akmar Nahar
100. Annabelle Ng
101. Hipodamus
102. Mark Teh
103. Marzuki Mahbob
104. Mohd Aizat Ahmad Tarmizi
105. Ronnie Khoo
106. Saiful Razman
107. Eva Mcgovern
108. Justin Lim
109. Wong Hoy Cheong
110. Dhaima Dandelion Parameswaren
111. Sharaad Kuttan
112. Kathy Rowland
113. Phang Kuan Hoong
114. Pang Khee Teik
115. Agnes Tan
116. Zain Azreen
117. Lee Yann Huey
118. Taysy Wong
119. David Wong
120. Wong Wai Lam
121. Lim Kok Siang
122. Lar Kee Lim
123. January Low-Siva
124. Carolyn Joan Lau
125. Sue Lankester
126. Saharil Hasrin Sanin
127. Adriene Leong
128. Yusmar Mitch Yusof
129. Mary Maguire
130. Oso-Son Anna
131. David W Foenander
132. Taheera Rosheena Mohamed
133. Paik Yin
134. Kin Kit
135. Teng Ky-Gan
136. Ayam Fared
137. Vigneswaran Mayachandran
138. Zulhabri Supian
139. Hariati Azizan
140. Kim Ng
141. Zoul Yazix
142. Kee Thuan Chye
143. Farish A Noor
144. Anne James
145. Marion D'cruz
146. Eddin Khoo
147. Janet Pillai
148. Mano Maniam
149. Jo Kukathas
150. Joe Kidd
151. Elizabeth Cardosa
152. Ismail Hashim
153. Bernice Chauly
154. Dr. Carmen Nge
155. Adeline Ooi
156. Beverly Yong
157. Jason Tan
158. Iskandar Razak
159. Shanthini Venugopal
160. Charlene Rajendran
161. Vincent Leong
162. Govin Ruben
163. Gan Siong King
164. Sukania Venugopal
165. Kelvin Lee Ee Keong
166. Ong Paychee
167. Randy Raharja
168. Grace Chin
169. Kathyn Tan
170. Rachel Ng
171. Lim Tiong Wooi
172. Nur Fatin Shatira Hana Bt Hamidon
173. Hoe Kai Yew
174. Mistrel Kok Ching Chieh
175. Hiew Wei Yong
176. Novia Shin
177. Loh Kok Man
178. Tang Hui Ching
179. Shaifuddin Mamat (Poodien)
180. Ling Siew Wai
181. Lydia Chai