Gambar-gambar Kemerdekaan

Spirit of Merdeka Movement Declaration

CPI Introduction  

On 31 August 2007, on the eve of the national celebrations of independence in Peninsular Malaysia, the country’s leading civil society organization issued a declaration calling for the nation to rededicate itself to the advancement of freedom.  On that day, 50 years ago, we rid ourselves of the domination of British colonialism.  

It is now necessary for us to rid ourselves of the challenge coming from those within the country that seek the imposition of new forms of domination.  

The succinct analysis provided in the statement reproduced here of how our freedoms and rights have been compromised and what needs to be done to right the situation is a stark reminder of the longer and more difficult road ahead in the quest for a genuine Merdeka. 

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Spirit of Merdeka Movement Declaration on Restoring Democracy and Advancing Freedom in Malaysia 

Preamble 

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, have come together on the occasion of our fifty years of independence in Peninsular Malaysia and 44 years of independence in Sabah and Sarawak to celebrate our nationhood and to rededicate ourselves and our members to the advancement of democracy and freedom.  

Today, key democratic and basic freedoms that all Malaysians fought so hard to attain are under siege or are in decline.  Our mission is not only with the restoration of democratic norms and practices.  It is also to reaffirm our commitment to the safeguarding and support of vital institutions and processes that are the hall mark of vibrant and flourishing democratic systems.  

We call on all Malaysians to support this cause and to join us in promoting a strong democracy in which the separation of power of the executive, legislative and judiciary is maintained, and checks and balances preventing the monopoly or abuse of power by the executive branch are in place. The alternative is to see our nation and people be driven down the road of authoritarianism towards an illiberal and shackled society. 

Mission Program 

Our mission program is focused on the preservation and enhancement of human rights and basic freedoms that are based upon values of participation, accountability, transparency, equality and diversity.  These rights, freedoms and values need to be constantly monitored and safeguarded by committed and autonomous institutional stakeholders and the citizenry.  Besides the active functioning of established political institutions of Parliament and the Government of the day, the judiciary, the media, and civil society organizations have important roles to play in advancing the cause of democracy in Malaysia.  

There are six areas in which progress towards a strong and resilient democratic system should be focused on.  These are:   

1. Upholding Constitutional Rights by Rescinding Authoritarian Legislation  
Our constitutional rights include the right to personal freedom, freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of peaceful assembly; freedom of expression and information; freedom of association; and equality before the law without discrimination. Various articles of the Malaysian Constitution provide a sound basis for these basic freedoms and liberties.  However, these provisions have been considerably weakened in the past fifty years, especially under the emergency laws that have long outlived their purpose.

To uphold these rights in the original spirit of our Federal Constitution, we call for the repeal of the following legislation


    * Internal Security Act 1960.
    * Public Order (Preservation) Act 1958.
    * Prevention of Crime Act 1959.
    * Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969.
    * Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 1970.
    * Essential (Security Cases) Regulations 1975.
    * Dangerous Drugs Act 1985
    * Restricted Residence Act 1933


The Federal Constitution has been amended innumerable times since independence. This has diluted tremendously the spirit of the original document. Important parts of the original Constitution, such as jus soli (right of birth) citizenship, a limitation on the variation of the number of electors in constituencies, and Parliamentary control of emergency powers have been modified or altered by amendments with the result that the present Federal Constitution bears little resemblance in many key areas to the original version

We call for the review of various constitutional amendments that have effectively abrogated other constitutionally protected fundamental freedoms and rights.  The rescinding of these amendments is a crucial step in the restoration of our democratic rights and freedoms.

We also call for the ratification of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention Against Torture and the incorporation of their principles into the Federal Constitution and national laws.

2. Restoring the independence of the Judiciary  

Separation of power of the main branches of the state is a core characteristic of all genuine democracies.  Adherence to this key concept is also critical to the protection of constitutional rights in Malaysia.  The drafters of our Constitution had envisaged “the supremacy of the law and the power and duty of the Courts to annul any attempt to subvert any of the fundamental rights [contained in the Constitution] whether by legislative or administrative action or otherwise” (Reid Commission Report, para 161). 

Since 1988 however, the independence of the judiciary has been compromised by numerous actions aimed at undermining its powers and circumscribing its responsibility to protect, preserve and defend the Constitution from legislative and other pressures.  

To restore the independence and integrity of the judiciary, we call on Malaysians to support the following measures:

    * Upholding the rule of law and the supremacy of the Federal Constitution
    * Establishment of an Independent Judicial Commission to ensure transparency and objectivity in the appointment and promotion of judges and to protect judicial integrity
    * Ensuring the Judiciary has the exclusive authority to decide whether an issue submitted for its decision is within its competence as defined by law.
    * Requiring all executive decisions to be subject to judicial reviews.


All Malaysians must exercise vigilance so that there is no inappropriate or unwarranted executive interference with the judicial process.  A manipulated and dependent judiciary can only lead to a weakened democracy. 

3. Ensuring Fair and Free Elections  

True democracy not only requires that Malaysians have the right to elect and dismiss their leaders but it also requires that the electoral process provides genuinely free and unbiased choices in the election of parties and political leaders at national, state and local level.

In our country, at the national and state levels, the manipulation of electoral boundaries; the vast disparity of voter numbers among the constituencies, use of the governmental machinery in support of various political party candidates; the growing incidence of phantom, postal and absentee voters; and various other irregularities and unethical practices have debased the credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process and the outcomes.

Local government forms the underpinning of democratic values and public accountability at the grassroots.  On March 2, 1965, local government elections in the nation were suspended with the promise of its restoration “the very moment peace is declared and the emergency regulations are withdrawn”.  This promise has yet to be honored. Today, the need for reform to the present unelected form of local government is urgent in wake of the systemic wastage, mismanagement and corruption found in many local councils. 

To ensure a free and fair choice of the country’s elected representatives by Malaysians, we call for the following reforms:

    * Reintroduction of local elections, which can be done by either the Federal Government or individual state governments under Article 113(4) of the Federal Constitution.
    * Upholding the principle of “one person one vote”, by either restricting the disparity in constituency sizes and prohibiting gerrymandering; or introducing the elements of Proportional Representation (PR) into the electoral system.
    * Adherence to the principle of administrative neutrality, by barring ruling parties from buying votes through development pledges and misusing public service facilities and apparatus for electioneering purposes.
    * Ensuring free and fair access to mass media by all parties.
    * Elimination of polling irregularities by cleaning up the electoral roll, abolishing domestic postal voting and employing indelible ink.
    * Introduction of senatorial elections as part of the parliamentary reform agenda.


Finally, to protect the integrity of the electoral system and process, the 1962 amendment to the Constitution which abrogated the Electoral Commission’s right to enforce fair delineation of constituencies should be repealed.  At the same time, the Electoral Commission should be granted full power to enforce its decision and should be made free from any form of political pressure or influence.  

4.  Advancing Media Freedom and Independence  

The growth on an independent and impartial media in Malaysia has been constrained by coercive legislation as well as by the ruling coalition parties’ control over the ownership of the major news outlets and publications. Increasingly too, journalists have become victims of the controls exerted by the political leadership and their business partners, or have engaged in biased reporting.

Numerous calls have been made for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act, Official Secrets Act, and national security laws introduced during the colonial period.  These legislations have long outlived their usefulness and should be replaced by a new Freedom of Information Act that enshrines key principles of media freedom and independence and removes the impediments to media independence and freedom, whilst ensuring appropriate social responsibility.

To ensure the independence and integrity of our mass media we call for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee for Media Law Reform to look into

    * Repealing all legislation which curb media freedom including:
          o Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984.
          o Sedition Act 1948.
          o Official Secrets Act 1972.
    * Enactment of a Freedom of Information Act to enhance the public’s right to public information and to protect whistle-blowers.
    * Introduction of effective anti-monopoly mechanisms to protect the pluralism of ownership and control in the media industry.


5. Fostering civil society participation and a culture of transparency and accountability 

Civil society plays a crucial role in a democratic system, especially in the context of Malaysia where legislative power cannot effectively control the executive. Today, despite the presence of repressive legislation and limitations to democratic space, numerous civil society organizations have emerged to pursue the cause of fundamental rights and freedoms in the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural fields.  Through activities aimed at a culture of participation, transparency and accountability and the raising of public consciousness, civil society organizations are playing a vital role in issues of public interest and by providing important resistance to coercive elements seeking to undermine democratic norms and practices.

To enable a vibrant and critical civil society to take root, freedoms of expression, association and assembly must be respected. We call for the repeal of the Universities and Universities Colleges Act 1971, the Universiti Aku Janji policy and Article 141 of the Penal Code on the right to peaceful assembly. We further call for the reforms of the following laws:

    * Societies Act 1966
    * Trade Unions Act 1959
    * Police Act 1967


We call on all Malaysians to stand up for civil society organizations that are facing threats to their freedom of association and organization, assembly and expression.

6. Protecting and celebrating the nation’s diversity

Malaysia is a nation of diverse ethnic groups, religions, cultures and languages.  In recognition of the difficulty of building a resilient democratic system where wide disparities exist amongst communities derived from geographical, ethnic, socio-cultural and other differences, we call for the acceptance of four general principles that can contribute to building a resilient democracy in our plural society.

These are:

    * No citizen should suffer unjustified discrimination in economic and educational opportunities on the grounds of ethnicity, religion, gender, class, disability, age or lifestyle.
    * The state should invest sufficiently in education, healthcare and other public services so that the marginalized and poorer segments of the society are provided opportunities to improve themselves and we can more quickly reduce the disparities that are found in the nation’s economy.
    * All individuals, groups and communities should respect one another as equal fellow citizens with constitutionally-enshrined rights and duties.
    * Elimination of the scourge of corruption which has taken deep root and is acting to destroy the moral and ethnical basis of the nation, whilst rewarding the greedy, unscrupulous and unworthy.

1 Malaysia Menjana Transformasi Negara

"1 Malaysia Menjana Transformasi Negara" merupakan tema kemerdekaan negara Malaysia yang ke-53 yang disambut pada tahun ini..

Berikut saya sertakan Perutusan Kemerdekaan pada tahun ini yg ditulis oleh Perdana Menteri kita, Dato' Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak :

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan Salam 1Malaysia.

1.    Alhamdulillah, syukur ke hadrat Allah SWT, esok, kita akan menyambut ulang tahun kemerdekaan Malaysia yang ke-53.

2.    Dalam tempoh lebih lima dekad kemerdekaan, kita dapat menyaksikan pelbagai perubahan yang telah dialami tanah air tercinta. Dari sebuah negara pertanian berpendapatan rendah, Malaysia telah tumbuh berkembang menjadi sebuah negara perindustrian moden yang berpendapatan sederhana tinggi.

3.    Sesungguhnya, perubahan ini tidak datang bergolek atau ibarat bulan jatuh ke riba. Sebaliknya, kejayaan yang dinikmati adalah hasil iltizam, perancangan dan kerja keras kerajaan bersama rakyat dengan berpegang  kepada falsafah untuk sentiasa berada di hadapan keluk perubahan dan pembaharuan. Ia juga manifestasi keberanian dan kesanggupan kerajaan serta rakyat untuk meneroka jalan dengan langkah yang progresif.

4.    Sejarah memperistiwakan bahawa, bapa-bapa kita peneroka kepemimpinan negara, tidak pernah berpuas hati untuk menerima keadaan seadanya walau sebesar mana pun cabaran yang melanda. Mereka sentiasa mendambakan dan berusaha ke arah mencipta masa depan yang lebih baik untuk negara dan rakyat. Almarhum Tunku dan para sahabat misalnya tidak rela untuk terus menjadi warga negara terjajah. Allahyarham Tun Razak dan rakan-rakan pula tidak membiarkan Malaysia pasca tragedi 13 Mei hilang harapan. Allahyarham Tun Hussein dan taulan tidak bersimpuh menyerah, bahawa, keganasan komunisme tidak dapat ditewaskan. Manakala Tun Dr. Mahathir dan handai seperjuangan tidak mahu menerima kebijakan lazim bahawa sebuah negara pertanian tidak mampu berubah menjadi sebuah negara perindustrian moden dengan infrastruktur berkelas dunia. Seterusnya Tun Abdullah pula, berusaha memupuk modal insan sebagai landas kejayaan negara bangsa.

Tuan-Tuan dan Puan-Puan,

5.    Hasil perasaan tidak mahu berpuas hati terhadap status quo yang sedia ada dan kesanggupan berubah, pendahulu-pendahulu kita telah membawa Malaysia ke arah mencapai kejayaan demi kejayaan sebagai sebuah negara. Hari ini, tibalah giliran generasi kita untuk menerajui Malaysia ke peringkat kemajuan dan kemakmuran yang lebih tinggi. Persoalannya, beranikah kita untuk memecah tradisi bagi mencapai hasil  yang melampaui kebiasaan.

6.    Justeru, cabaran sebenar kita hari ini adalah untuk mentransformasikan Malaysia supaya menjadi sebuah negara maju berpendapatan tinggi menjelang tahun 2020. Ke arah itu, kita telah pun  memasakkan asas-asas yang kukuh dalam bentuk pelan transformasi kerajaan atau GTP  dan pelan  transformasi ekonomi yakni ETP sebagai pelan hala tuju yang jelas ke arah  matlamat  mulia tersebut.

7.    Sememangnya, Malaysia yang aman, maju dan makmur akan mendatangkan nikmat kepada semua rakyat. Bagi maksud ini kita perlu menggembleng setiap bakat yang ada di kalangan rakyat Malaysia. Setiap seorang anak Malaysia adalah penting dan berkemampuan menyumbang kepada penciptaan kemakmuran dan kesejahteraan nasional.

8.    Lalu, sudah tiba masa kita memanfaatkan sepenuhnya bakat-bakat tempatan yang ada. Alangkah ruginya negara jika bakat-bakat yang kita latih dengan segala susah payah  berhijrah bagi mencari padang yang lebih subur hanya dek kegagalan kita mengadakan persekitaran terbaik untuk mereka menyumbang. Ini kerana fenomena globalisasi bukan sahaja  menyaksikan pengaliran mudah modal dan teknologi merentas sempadan tetapi juga  ia melibatkan pengaliran bebas modal insan.

Tuan-Tuan dan Puan-Puan,

9.    Di atas segalanya, bagi mencapai matlamat masa depan yang lebih baik, Malaysia mestilah mengekalkan perpaduan nasional yang menjadi tonggak keamanan dan kestabilan selama ini. Teras perpaduan kita haruslah bersifat mapan. Untuk itu, asas integrasi rakyat Malaysia perlu bersandarkan nilai-nilai yang dikongsi dan dipersetujui bersama oleh semua kaum sepertimana terkandung dalam ideologi kebangsaan yakni rukun negara dan termaktub dalam perlembagaan persekutuan sebagai kontrak sosial nasional.

10.    Kita tidak boleh membenarkan cara hidup rakyat Malaysia yang berpaksikan kepelbagaian dan kesederhanaan diasak oleh budaya kejumudan serta sikap melampau yang terjelma melalui isu-isu perkauman serta agama. Segala apa yang kita capai, segala apa yang kita bina dan segala apa yang kita hargai, boleh hancur berkecai dan musnah dalam sekelip mata. Oleh itu, kita perlu menghargai keamanan, keharmonian dan kestabilan yang ada.

11.    Maka, saya yakin lagi percaya, semua rakyat Malaysia  cintakan keamanan, mahukan masa depan yang lebih baik untuk anak-anak mereka.

12.    Ketahuilah bahawa, kerajaan yang ada amat komited untuk mempertahankan kemerdekaan dan kedaulatan negara dengan segala instrumen undang-undang dan kekuatan yang ada dari ancaman dalam mahupun  luaran.

13.    Ingatlah bahawa, Malaysia adalah tanah tumpah darah kita, di sini kita dilahirkan, di sini kita membesar, di sini kita mencari rezeki, di sini kita mencipta kebahagiaan  dan di sinilah dengan takdir Tuhan kita akan bersemadi.

14.    Oleh itu, saya ingin menyeru semua warga Malaysia sempena sambutan ulang tahun kemerdekaan kali ke-53 ini untuk sama-sama berganding bahu dengan satu tekad untuk menjadikan Malaysia negara yang terbaik di mana yang mengehadkan kejayaan kita hanyalah bakat dan kesanggupan  untuk bekerja keras.

15.    Akhir kata, demi masa depan anak-anak kita, kelangsungan Malaysia mesti dipertahankan. Janganlah yang elok menjadi retak, Janganlah yang bersambung menjadi putus. Mudah-mudahan kita mendapat rahmat. Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka.

Sekian, Wabillahi Taufiq Walhidayah Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Dato' Sri Mohd Najib

Putrajaya

30 Ogos 2010

Sejarah Kemerdekaan

Assalamualaikum dan Salam Satu Malaysia :)

Walaupun kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia, tetapi di luar sana masih lagi ramai yang lupa dan kurang mengetahui mengenai sejarah kemerdakaan. Jadi sempena bulan kemerdekaan ini, saya prisoner ingin berkongsi bersama anda semua serba sedikit mengenai tentang sejarah kemerdekaan.  

Ianya bermula pabila...

Pilihan raya umum yang pertama ditandingkan pada tahun 1955. Parti-parti seperti PAS, Parti Negara di bawah pimpinan Dato' Onn bin Jaafar, Parti Buruh, Parti Progresif Perak, Parti Perikatan UMNO-MCA-MIC dan sebagainya bertanding dalam pilihan raya umum tersebut.Parti Perikatan UMNO-MCA-MIC memenangi 51 kerusi daripada 52 kerusi yang dipertandingkan. 1 kerusi lagi dimenangi oleh PAS. Dengan kemenangan dalam pilihan raya, kabinet kerajaan telah dibentuk. Tunku Abdul Rahman menjadi Ketua Menteri yang pertama.

Pada tahun 1956, Tunku Abdul Rahman mengetuai suatu rombongan ke London untuk membincangkan perkara-perkara mengenai kemerdekaan. Rundingan ini mengambil masa tiga minggu di London. Perjanjian London 1956 ditandatangani pada 8 Februari 1956 yang menyatakan persetujuan memberi kemerdekaan kepada Tanah Melayu. Sekembali ke Tanah Melayu, Tunku Abdul Rahman mengumumkan tarikh kemerdekaan di Melaka.

Pada tahun 1956, suatu Suruhanjaya Perlembagaan Komanwel ditubuhkan untuk menggubal perlembagaan. Suruhanjaya Perlembagaan Komanwel atau lebih dikenali sebagai Suruhanjaya Reid yang dipengerusi oleh Lord Reid dari Britian terdiri daripada pakar-pakar undang dari negara Komanwel. Laporan yang dikeluarkan oleh Suruhanjaya Reid dipinda oleh Jawatankuasa Kerja dan diluluskan oleh Majlis Undangan Persekutuan.

Bendera Union Jack iaitu bendera British diturunkan di hadapan Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, Kuala Lumpur pada tepat pukul 12 malam 31 Ogos 1957. Kemudian, Perdana Menteri Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, Tunku Abdul Rahman mengisytiharkan kemerdekaan di Stadium Merdeka. Jemaah Menteri diumumkan juga pada hari pengisytiharan kemerdekaan. 

31 Ogos 1957 (Stadium Merdeka)

Tunku membacakan pengistiharan Kemerdekaan yang antara lainnya menyebut "Dengan nama Allah, Persekutuan Tanah  Melayu untuk selamanya sebuah negara yang demokratik dan Merdeka". Acapkali suaranya tenggelam dan pekikan Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! oleh rakyat sebuah negara baru yang lahir dari suatu perjuangan yang suci. 

Seorang anak bangsa yang menyaksikan segalanya di depan mata, menghuraikan pengalamannya, Hujan renyai-renyai menghiasi pagi. Tanpa disedari linangan air mata membasahi pipi. Stadium Merdeka dibanjiri oleh anak-anak bangsa yang datang dari setiap pelusuk negeri. Masing-masing hadir dengan harapan yang tinggi. Menjadi saksi, satu peristiwa yang penuh bererti, yang tidak akan dilupai tersemat disanubari sampai mati. Merdeka telah kita miliki 

 'Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

ini sahaja serba sedikit maklumat yg prisoner bole bagi, semoga ia dapat membantu mengimbau kembali saat-saat negara kita mengapai kemerdekaan dan menaikkan lagi semangat cinta akan negara. 

Sekian :) 

Kemerdekaan Malaysia

Merdeka.. Merdeka..!! Merdeka..!!!!