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JUST as bosses hate dealing with tough employees, governments hate tough citizens. As a last resort, employers may fire their recalcitrant staff, but this is not an option for governments, although they may want to remove citizenship from their detractors.
As a general rule, governments of states with active democracies (which means that there are quite strong institutions, such as an independent judiciary and a free press to control those in power ), must suffer the inconvenience and irritation of fierce critics and dissidents. But suffer, they will be for the most part.
But the governments of written democracies – where elections take place but the surveillance institutions are muzzled or mostly without teeth – tolerate very little dissent, opposition and all those who pose a threat and do not pretend to play nicely with these difficult people.
At present, the world knows how bad a government can be for a hated citizen in the horrific aggression and murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
The journalist, a strong critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and exiled to the United States, went to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain documents enabling him to To marry his Turkish bride in the month of October. 2 and never went out again.
The whole saga is unfolding and the Saudi government turns to report what happened at the consulate, which is now a murder site.
Khashoggi's death at the hands of his own government reminded me of the assassination of North Korean Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur in February 2017.
Kim's death would have been sanctioned by the state because analysts believe that his half-brother, Kim Jong-un, had ordered the elimination of any contender likely to challenge his position as Korea's supreme leader. North.
The killings of Khashoggi and Kim show how much authoritarian governments do not hesitate to resort to extreme tactics to permanently silence those whom they consider to be enemies of the state, even on foreign soil.
While Khashoggi's outrage, condemnation and calls for sanctions and boycott of death are largely from Western states, the response from the East has been much more moderate, if not non-existent in some countries.
The most "strong" statements were made by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who called for a "transparent and thorough investigation", and by Malay Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, who described it as a " act of extreme cruelty "unacceptable.
It was the right thing to do, but even in Malaysia, there are several cases of murdered and missing people that occurred when the previous Barisan Nasional government was in power, which requires answers.
The killing in October 2006 of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in Shah Alam (Selangor), whose death was inflicted on the two policemen who shot him and blew his body with explosive C4, is in danger. preparation.
Both men were found guilty of the crime and sentenced to death.
As in the carefully planned assassination of Khashoggi, there is a strong belief: some one of very high placed had to give the order to kill the two police commandos who otherwise would n & # 39; There was no reason or motive for killing a woman whom they had never met.
Another unresolved case that haunts Malaysians is the removal in the light of Pastor Raymond Koh's day on February 13, 2017.
The way Koh was stopped and removed from his car by a well-coordinated group of masked men spread across five vehicles and two motorcycles in one minute made one think of a professionally managed operation.
Police are suspected, the wife of another kidnapped, activist Amri Che Mat, reportedly said that a police officer told him that the special branch team that had taken her husband in November 2016 was also at the origin of the Koh kidnapping.
Christian pastor Joshua Hilmy – converted from Islam – and his wife Ruth, missing in March last year, were reportedly also abducted.
Because of the "professional" manner in which they were kidnapped, were these people – Amri accused of propagating Syiah Islam – welcomed because they were considered as religious threats to national security? But why the need to silence them in such a coat?
Questions remain unanswered in the murders of Deputy Attorney General Kevin Morais (the trial of his alleged killer is underway) and former President of AmBank, Hussain Najadi, according to which many suspects could be linked to the financial scandal of 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
When criticized by the media, the Barisan government tried to silence critics by generously using the sedition law, but fortunately no Malaysian journalist has disappeared or died.
Yet, one may wonder how close Malaysia was to the edge and whether it was falling into the dark abyss of state-sanctioned unrestricted terror against its citizens if the Barisan had won the last general election and maintained his regime more and more inextricable and corrupt.
That is why it is imperative that Malaysians hold Dr. Mahathir and his government of Pakatan Harapan following their repeated promise to bring the country back to the rule of law.
And that means dealing with tough and critical citizens at the pound; if they really represent a threat to national security, openly charge them in court, for the benefit of all.
Beyond Malaysia, I agree with Sri Lankan journalist Lucien Rajakarunanayake who, writing L & # 39; Ile According to the newspaper, the killing of Khashoggi sparked little protest from other Asian countries, particularly Asian democracies, because of "the Islamic influence and economic power of Saudi Arabia."
The new Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, candidly admitted that he had to give priority to his country's pressing need to receive funding from the Saudis.
In addition to economic interests, I would add that Muslim-majority nations also have pilgrim quotas to protect.
But what can we expect? From India to China to many Asian countries, not much is better than Saudi Arabia in terms of human rights and tolerance of dissidents.
According to Amnesty International, many states have arrested, imprisoned and even killed critical and outspoken citizens in the name of national security.
As for the Philippine government, it has killed thousands of people as part of its largely condemned anti-drug campaign.
According to Rajakarunana-yake, Sri Lanka has another reason to keep her mother.
It has not yet shed light on the two cases of the murdered journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga and the kidnapped and missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, despite a change of government.
As for China, if nations hold their tongues in front of Saudi Arabia because of its economic influence, they would probably prefer to master it rather than challenge Big Brother Beijing's record of human rights and treatment. to dissidents.
Rajakarunanayake wonders what is the commitment of Asia, especially of South Asia, towards democracy and human rights.
I would say on a scale of one to ten, it's three for most countries and maybe four for a few.
The writer has a column entitled "If aunt, so what? L & # 39; star publishes every second Wednesday. The Asian Writers' Circle is a series of global business columns written by Asia News Network editors and editors and published in newspapers, websites and social media platforms in the region.
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