KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — There is no legal impediment to the use of “Negara-Ku” to name a group, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said today, as she flayed Putrajaya for declaring the newly formed citizen movement an illegal society.
The prominent civil rights lawyer and activist urged Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to state which provision under the law prohibits the use of the word, which is similar to “Negaraku”, Malaysia’s national anthem.
“We do not see any legal impediment to using the name and KDN should perhaps inform us under what provisions of the law they are making these allegations,” she said in a text message to the Malay Mail Online.
KDN is the Malay acronym for the Home Ministry.
Ambiga, who is one of Negara-Ku’s patrons, also claimed that the group need not register itself under the Societies Act as it is a coalition of registered non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
In a statement earlier today, the ministry declared Negara-Ku an illegal organisation, and warned that any activity undertaken by the citizen movement could warrant punishment under the law.
Ahmad Zahid pointed out that the group, launched earlier this month by Ambiga and national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said, has not applied to register the society and is therefore considered unlawful under the Societies Act 1966.
The minister also said the group should not be allowed to be registered as its chosen name — “Negara-Ku” — is deemed inappropriate.
Explaining, Ahmad Zahid pointed out that “Negara-Ku” refers to “Negaraku”, which has long been endorsed as the national anthem under Section 2 of the National Anthem Act 1965.
The use of “Negara-Ku” as the group’s name could therefore “confuse” public, he added.
Ambiga labelled the decision “disappointing”, adding that it was likely made following criticism against the coalition by Malay right wing groups.
“It is very disappointing that the Home Ministry stands to attention to the views of a small group who has extremist views instead of looking at Negara-Ku objectively,” she said.
“We are a movement for unity. How can there be anything bad about this? Home Ministry always jumps and listens to extremist views instead of the view of majority of Malaysians,” she added.
Negara-Ku was launched on July 10 by Ambiga and Samad Said, two renowned civil society leaders who were both previously co-chairmen of the electoral reform watchdog Bersih 2.0.
The two touted the group as a “people’s movement to reclaim the country” already endorsed by over 60 civil society groups and NGOs.
But Malay-Muslim groups immediately attacked the group, claiming it, among others allegations, challenges the rights of Malaysian Muslims and Malays.
According to Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), the coalition is just a new front for humanist, liberal and religious pluralist movements in the country.
