KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Bar has called on police to exercise restraint in their investigation into doctors and other healthcare workers who participated in the Code Black campaign.
Its president A.G. Kalidas in a statement today said these health professionals were merely exercising their constitutional rights in good faith.
“Any unwarranted restrictions on the right to freedom of speech and expression will give the impression that Malaysia is regressing as a society.
Police should not view the legitimate exercise of one’s constitutional rights as a threat to public order. Instead, such rights must be upheld and protected, in adherence to and in observance of the federal constitution.”
The campaign spearheaded by the Malaysian Medical Association aims to highlight the plight of contract healthcare workers seeking a clear pathway to specialisation, detailed and transparent criteria for permanent posts, equal and fair treatment between contract and permanent staff, as well as job security.
Kalidas stressed that the Bar has always been a firm advocate of the right to freedom of speech and expression, which is vital to a functioning democracy.
Freedom of speech allows for intellectual discourse and facilitates discussion on important socio-political questions, he said.
“The right to freedom of speech, assembly and association is enshrined in Article 10 of our constitution.
“Such liberties are internationally recognised. Article 19 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that ‘everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers’.
“These rights are integral to ensuring an active civil society and a well-informed public.” – The Vibes, July 16, 2021
