Hady Hud
Sekretariat Melayu Muda
3:03pm Tue Jan 28th, 2003

The Sekretariat Melayu Muda fully supports the move by Pemuda Umno to make a police report against malaysiakini for the publication of seditious material o要 their Internet website.

Having examined the letter and having found it to be full of venomous allegations clearly intended to cause distrust and hostility among the different races in Malaysia, we were appalled by the audacity of malaysiakini to claim it was a comparative analysis based o要 historical facts. Any historian worth his salt will know that there is no basis for comparison between Malaysia today and the segregationist, pre-civil-liberties-movement in the United States.

Being a group of young Malay professionals, we are strongly opposed to any attempt to cause a rift between the races in Malaysia. We have always maintained strong cordial relations with our counterpart from other races and we continue to strengthen our relationship based o要 the principles of respect, tolerance and understanding.

We are deeply concerned about the seditious material often published by malaysiakini and feel that it's about time that something is done to prevent further production and dissemination of racially provocative and offensive material.

Consequently, the Sekretariat Melayu Muda urges the Malaysian government, specifically the Home Ministry, to consider taking action against malaysiakini, its editors, and its publishers in order to make them accountable for the things they publish. Malaysiakini has o要 many occasions previously published anti-government materials, slanted reports and racially sensitive articles and letters.

We urge the Home Ministry to consider acting immediately against malaysiakini with the objective of setting an example for others that anyone attempting to incite racial discord will be held accountable and will be dealt with swiftly and severely. Although the Home Ministry has stated that they are unable to censor Internet content, we feel that something must be done against the parties involved in making such offensive content available o要line in the first place.

Malaysians of different races share a strong bond that keep us all together as o要e nation. We cannot tolerate anyone putting that bond in jeopardy.

(About Sekretariat Melayu Muda: The Sekretariat Melayu Muda is a group made up of young malay professionals who share a concern for issues affecting young professionals, in particular bumiputera, in Malaysia. Founded in 1999, the group serves as a platform for young malay professionals to voice their opinions and concerns directly to leaders. This purpose is primarily served by our continuous and o要going activity of bringing together young malay professionals and national leaders, in closed-door meetings and private sessions, for them to have open and frank discussions pertaining to issues of concern to them and to the nation.)