If you read my previous post on the price of 'freedom of speech', you can tell that, as much as I love the human rights to express our opinions and ideas to the masses; no matter how dumb it may be, there is a price for that 'belief'. Everything in this world has a chain reaction to it. It is the karma way of the universe. Good is re-compensated with good future, and bad... you know the drill. But this time around, I'd like to poke around the 'freedom of speech' innuendo in our country.
Contradictory to the full extent of free speech, I am grateful that Malaysians take granted of this powerful human rights. Well, not to say that they don't. They do! Just go around Malaysians in their social network sites and you can find myriads of hate post or free-speech thinkers everywhere, wanting to seek justice for equality or some other kind of bullshit. But thankfully that Malaysians are just simply too torpid to actually bring the fight to the streets. All they can do, for most of them without no 'power' can only practice their free speech on the social network instead.
On the previous post, I mentioned about the woman who was being punished for the slanderous comment she wrote on her Facebook. Well, this goes to show that you need to be careful when explicitly expressing you discontent to ...... (whoever it is). We are not a barbaric country or even boorish, we have laws and also law enforcers hanging around, waiting to strike us down when we 'say' too much.
You see, there's actually a good reason why government feels that there is a need to curb any 'freedom of speech'. Well, of course there is no good reason to blow whistle on your dissatisfaction towards bad canteen food in your school or campus, unreasonable price hike in groceries, or even on your demands for a higher wage. Those are a few examples why free speech is widely encouraged. To fight for your own rights and for the sake of comfortable living. But there are certain 'protests' or demonstrations that needed to be curtailed before it goes awry.
Some good examples are those protests or demonstrations or gathering that supporters of a certain political group held. These types of free speech that regards chagrin against the results of the GE, can sometimes be specious and erroneous. (Why so? You need to attend these protest yourself. I, for one, do not wish to associate myself with such political exhibition.) This is because, some (I'm not saying all) Malaysians (all of the races included) are blind morons who will succumb to the foment of this 'freedom of speech' voices. And the consequences of this forum, will drive these believers to become bloody martyrs. Fanning the fire of discontent from the citizens, provoking them into bombarding the government and beset the country with it.
You can take for example, the incident of Bersih 2.0 in 2011. You knew what happened, right? So, let's not get into the messy details. The point here is that, when Bersih was officially formed in November 23rd, 2006, it is fueled with the same druthers to 'freedom of speech'. Expressing your opinions and demanding what is right, that is what galvanizing Bersih. Again, I'm not saying that it isn't right to do so, but the government, or whomever it is that is controlling them, is trying to maintain the civilities of our people. Bersih 2.0 maybe a good example to make you understand why government feel the need to control the mass about their rights to a free speech.
Because we live in a country that honours the 5 national principles. And in one those principles, Supremacy of the Constitution, is what our country is based on. Constitution is the ultimate rule that pilot our nation's amelioration. And it is stated somewhere (I don't fucking know exactly where... I'm not that versed in our country's rule of law) in the Constitution that there is a sedition act.
The act criminalises speech with 'seditious tendency', including that which would 'bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against' the government or engender 'feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races'. - Source, Wikipedia
And this is where the need to oversee, restrict, and dismiss free speeches that is extremely egregious. So, you need to understand why you feel that our country doesn't fathom your fight for 'freedom of speech'. You need to be aware of the things you say, learn to recognise those comments or lewd remarks that may send you away. Licentious, atrocious, outrageous free speeches that may cost you more than you might realise. In other words, be fastidious of what you want to say when applying 'freedom of speech' or it might just feasibly dunk you in hot water. I'm just saying.
