Press freedom is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.
I stand in Solidarity with @malaysiakini .
I had the privilege to serve as a columnist for them when i was still studying in University.
Prior to GE14, when i was a newbie in politics, journalists from MalaysiaKini always came to cover my events & PCs. They were critical of boths sides but always provided a "microphone" to all, to broadcast issues & concerns.
When i was part of government, i remember many colleagues & supporters condemning MalaysiaKini for giving so much coverage to racial demagogues & "Bossku".
Reality is, The press was just doing their job.
They're meant to be critical of those in power. They're meant to ask the hardest of questions no matter who you are & where you come from.
I remember when some wanted action to be taken against Utusan & SinChew, i visisted their respective HQs to get to know the teams better & to know where they were coming from.
Often, they were right & we were wrong. Arrogance will get us no where in building our beloved Malaysia.
I personally have donated RM1000 to help their good cause & hope that others will do the same.
As a law abiding Malaysian, i respect the decision of the judiciary. As a Member of Parliament, i'll find legislative ways of ensuring that Press Freedom will be preserved. As a Malaysian, The least i can do is to reduce the financial burden faced by my media friends at MalaysiaKini.
abiding by the law 在 葉朗程 Facebook 八卦
叱吒風雲的駱應淦大狀,型到一個點。
"Very often, these young people are inflicted with serious injuries in the process of arrest and thereafter. It would be hard to find any decent, sensible and law-abiding individual who champions these young people simply because they support criminal acts and the flouting of the law. But many, including large sections of the local public and numerous members of the international community, do sympathize with our young people who are prepared to forgo their own liberty, security and even their lives to give voice to a cause supported by many to change the injustices of the current establishment, which point-blank refuses to listen and to give way."
Here is what the brightest legal mind in HK has said, in full:
Having practised criminal law in Hong Kong for 40 years, and defended individuals for a full array of crimes, ranging from the most heinous crimes of violence to massive commercial frauds, I could lavishly chronicle the trials and tribulations of being a criminal barrister. I can say that the challenges in the criminal Bar are often rewarded with the sense of triumph in seeing justice achieved when, more often than not, conviction is returned on good evidence or when the liberty of an accused is secured because the evidence is not up to the mark. In either event there is an adherence to a standard, a procedure, which people can trust, and do trust. This is an important facet of our treasured Rule of Law.
Experience at the criminal Bar carries with it the burden of a delicate sensitivity to any ruffling of law and order. The current conflicts in our society are therefore a particular cause of pain, conflicts which see many young people, including many juveniles still in secondary schools, finding themselves on the wrong side of the law, having committed acts of road obstruction, serious vandalism, sometimes even physical assault causing others harm. Very often, these young people are inflicted with serious injuries in the process of arrest and thereafter. It would be hard to find any decent, sensible and law-abiding individual who champions these young people simply because they support criminal acts and the flouting of the law. But many, including large sections of the local public and numerous members of the international community, do sympathize with our young people who are prepared to forgo their own liberty, security and even their lives to give voice to a cause supported by many to change the injustices of the current establishment, which point-blank refuses to listen and to give way. It is worth remembering that the government’s ill-advised attempts to pass the much deplored extradition bill was halted only, and perversely, after many young people forcibly blocked entry into the Legislative Council due to pass the bill and engaged in violent clashes with the police. The recalcitrant stance of those who govern plays a large part in sowing the seeds of violence.
There is no doubt that violence cannot and must not be condoned, and no decent, sensible and law abiding person that I know condones the vandalism and violence which has been perpetrated by those involved in the protests. Mere condemnation, however, goes no way to help. It does not deal with the root of the problem, which lies in large part with those in government.
The problem, unfortunately, includes the police force, which executes the increasingly repressive policy of the government, and more. Since June, release of teargas by police has become order of the day; it is not difficult to find footages of police nakedly beating up a protester who has been hunted down, or freely dispensing peppar spray at close range at protesters, journalists and even a legislator. Complaints of beatings inside police stations after arrests are commonplace and reported by barristers who made legal visits. Yet, day and day out, one hears only official denial of abuse and wrongdoing (or excuses for inaction, as in the case of the 21 July incident in Yuen Long West Rail station). Shooting of an 18-year-old on 1 October was justified by the Commissioner of Police as “lawful” and “reasonable” just hours after the incident, even though basic international principles demand full inquiry and report. None of the law-breakers in uniform is being brought to account. Indeed, they cannot even be identified because they eschew any identification as required by the police’s own rules and guidelines. Arbitrary arrests abound. Ordinary citizens have been arrested for shouting abuse at the police.
No one underestimates the difficulty of the job of police in circumstances such as these, but neither reason nor restraint is being shown. The standard and procedure that we have taken pride in and taken for granted for so long, seem to have vanished. The professionalism of the police force is also severely questioned.
In such climate the Bar Association, of which I am a Council member, has in my view rightly identified the relevant legal issues and spoken out about them. It is not shameful to hold those armed with power, public authority and weaponry to account. Nor it is blind-sightedness to point out that the problem is an intractable executive. These are what the Bar Association should do in defending the Rule of Law.
abiding by the law 在 Goodbye HK, Hello UK Facebook 八卦
內政大臣展示最冷酷無情嘅一面
(收緊難民政策)
因為近幾個月好多非法移民用橡皮艇由法國過海偷渡去英國嘅Dover(每日幾十至過百),上星期有內政部公務員擺明玩老細,漏料比傳媒話內政大臣聲稱會考慮掉啲人去北極同蘇格蘭中間嘅孤島,申請到難民簽證先可以送返英國。當然比啲左翼甚至中間派鬧佢無人性啦,而Priti姨姨緊係嬲到爆,聲稱自己無講過,要查邊個係二五仔。
不過到咗今日,內政大臣正式宣布真正嘅目的(唔係玩孤島),係要完整收緊「壞晒」嘅制度("broken system"),話現有嘅制造益咗嗰班蛇頭,希望營造更有效同公平嘅制度,實際上係更快篩選盡快遺返送走(簡單啲講最好即捕即解)。
“Those defending the broken system — the traffickers, the do-gooders, the leftie lawyers, the Labour Party — they are defending the indefensible.”
(嗰啲為咗壞晒嘅制度而辯護嘅,就係嗰班蛇頭、左膠律師、工黨、好人做壞事嘅人囉,維護一啲唔應該維護嘅嘢。)
老實講,呢單新聞一啲都唔關香港人事,只係比大家見識下內政大臣Priti Patel响移民政策上面,可以有好無情同苛刻嘅一面。
“This Conservative government will continue to stand up for the hardworking, law-abiding majority who play by the rules, and take action against the minority who do not.”
Patreon伸延討論:
英國Home Office官僚無情嘅歷史原因
(可能有BNO「撥冷水」內容慎入)
https://bit.ly/2Stpbws
#姨姨狠心嘅一面
報導:
《Financial Times》
Patel promises to create ‘firm and fair’ UK asylum system
https://on.ft.com/33vD5oo
《The Times》
Priti Patel attacks ‘leftie lawyers’ abusing asylum laws
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/patel-attacks-leftie-lawyers-abusing-asylum-laws-k5pktxrnh