KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — Putrajaya must stop its alleged penchant for selective prosecution if it wants to continue to remain a member of the United Nation’s Security Council, opposition lawmaker Nurul Izzah Anwar said today.

The Lembah Permai MP for PKR said it is shameful that Malaysia can sit on the Security Council and yet continue to taint the rule of law through selective prosecution and investigations that favoured the federal government.

“There seems to be no end to the authorities’ penchant in creating a culture of fear and oppression by going on a ‘sedition witch hunt’ and closely policing public debate, even on social media,” she said in a statement.

The PKR vice-president pointed to the February 11 arrest of cartoonist Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque or Zunar, and last night’s detention of Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S. Arutchelvan as examples of alleged selective prosecution.

Nurul Izzah said this was not helped by alleged threats of further arrest by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar against opposition politicians, who have been critical of the February 10 decision by the Federal Court to convict and jail opposition leader and her father, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy.

“Strangely enough, racist tweets by ministers and selective members of the public; including assertions of involvement of the ruling elite in the murder of Altantuya are conveniently ignored by the IGP and the government.

“Specifically, fresh on our minds is the recent call by Ismail Sabri, the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry to boycott Chinese traders. Unfortunately, no reparatory action has been taken by the authorities until today,” she said.

Nurul Izzah reminded Putrajaya that since taking over the reins of the Asean chairmanship this year, the government must showcase moral authority and principled courage to lead.

She said the responsibility falls on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to put an end to the spate of persecutions, failing which he should relinquish the country’s position in both the UN Security Council and its Asean chairmanship.

Nurul Izzah added that Malaysians must be free to exercise their right to criticise the government without fear of reprisal from the authorities.

“I am deeply dismayed and concerned by the continuous selective, and wanton use of the archaic sedition law to repress opposition leaders and civil rights activists from voicing out against clear cut abuse and flaws in our democratic institutions,” she said.