Navaratnam threatened for criticising MACC

Police are probing threats made in 'harsh and vulgar' text messages.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police are investigating threats made against prominent public figure Ramon Navaratnam over his criticism of MACC proposals aimed at curbing illegal land clearing in Cameron Highlands.

Navaratnam lodged a police report after receiving four text messages that he described as “harsh and vulgar”. He said they threatened to harm him and his family.

“They have vilified me for stating in the Malay Mail last week that the points provided by MACC to prevent slope slides in Cameron Highlands won’t win public confidence because they are merely administrative proposals,” he told FMT.

Last July, at a Pahang meeting of the National Security Council, MACC submitted 12 recommendations to overcome illegal and excessive land clearing in Cameron Highlands. The recommendations called for a joint effort by all authorities to prevent any space for corruption and abuse of power and overcome administrative weaknesses in the enforcement and management of land in the area.

Navaratnam said the recommendations were not sufficient to solve “major lapses of, inter alia, poor laws, soft enforcement and a weak political will to seriously address the huge problems of bad slope management in Cameron Highlands and all over our beautiful hilly country”.

Navaratnam is adviser to SlopeWatch, a community-based organisation which monitors slopes for signs of landslides and conducts simple maintenance such as clearing of overgrowth in drains.

He called for better government policies and an improvement in the attitudes of local governments, saying these were necessary “if we are to effectively tackle bad slope management and reduce deaths from landslides.”

Referring to his police report, he said he hoped the culprits would be caught soon.

“Some people cannot accept honest criticism as it might break their rice bowls,” he said. “They try to stifle constructive criticism and public discussion in order to continue their rape of our environment and pursue their corrupt practices.

“The same tactic is perpetuated by extremists against the silent majority. Moderate Malaysians must therefore stand up for justice and resist and reject the corrupt and the bigots in our country.

“The government should go all out to warn hate and fear mongers that they will be hunted down and punished for attacking honest critics who want to protect public interests and the nation’s future against unscrupulous and greedy Malaysians.

“The fundamental freedoms of the press and the public must be protected. Constructive critics should not be put off by these minority fringe bigots and zealots who can undermine our democratic way of life and our progress.”