54 NGOs: Demand Release of the
Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) Report
30th March 2019
We, the undersigned civil societies view with deep concern the statement by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin that the report by the Council of Eminent Persons has been classified secret under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).
The bedrock of the Pakatan Harapan government must be reform, as promised in their manifesto and as chanted at all the Pakatan Harapan rallies held before the election.
We need reform of the country’s key institutions such as Parliament, the judiciary and the police. We desperately need reform of the many repressive laws that have been abused time and time again by the previous government.
The OSA is one of those many repressive laws. While we acknowledge that every government needs to be able to keep certain documents confidential in the interest of the nation’s security and wellbeing, we state categorically that the current OSA cannot be the law that is used to do so.
The OSA is a deeply flawed law that has been misused and abused to hide criminal acts and government misconduct. It has been used to classify all manner of documents secret, including highway and water concession agreements, city council minutes and the air pollution index.
The OSA, as it stands, is the ultimate symbol of a government with something to hide, and that has no interest in being held accountable.
The fact that a Pakatan Harapan deputy minister is justifying its use to keep secret a report that was crafted for the very purpose of aiding in the reform process, rings alarm bells for civil society about this government’s commitment to reform.
Pakatan Harapan must not commit another U-turn, especially where the reform is fundamental to a robust and lasting democracy. The OSA must be reviewed to limit and restrict the scope in which can be invoked. Also, a Freedom of Information Act must be enacted, as promised in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto, to counterbalance the OSA.
In line with civil societies stand that information of interest to the nation must be freely available and accessible to all, civil societies and individuals who have contributed to the Institutional Reform Committee shall provide our individual submissions for public consumption.
Furthermore, we call on the Pakatan Harapan administration and politicians from both side of the political divide to commit to:
1) Conduct a comprehensive review of the Official Secrets Act 1972 to bring it in line with international standards on freedom of information and to limit its applicability to matters pertaining to national security, defence, international relations and other narrowly defined criteria;
2) Enact a Freedom of Information Act without delay;
3) Release the Institutional Reforms Committee report, that was prepared under the auspices of the CEP, to the public;
4) Release the CEP report to the public, with sensitive financial and other confidential information redacted, if necessary.
54民间组织要求希盟政府
公开耆老会（CEP）报告
2019年3月30日联合声明
马来西亚首相署副部长莫哈末哈尼巴（Mohamed Hanipa Maidin）３月２８日（周四）告诉国会，耆老理事会（CEP）报告被列为国家机密，但他表示希盟政府并未试图隐瞒不道德行为。 - Ahmad Zamzahuri的图片（图片来源：The Malay Mail）
我们，以下54个联合签署的民间组织，深切关注我国首相署副部长莫哈末哈尼巴（Mohamed Hanipa Maidin）所发表的，政府已经根据<1972年官方机密法令>（OSA）将耆老理事会的报告列为国家机密的声明。
希盟政府的基础架构必须按照他们对大选宣言所作的承诺，以及他们在达选之前的群众大会上的反复宣传来进行改革。
我们需要对国家的主要机构诸如国会、司法和警察制度进行改革。我们迫切需要对前朝政府屡屡滥用的许多压制性法律进行改革。
<1972官方机密法令>是许多的压制性法律的其中之一。我们当然承认，每个政府都需要为了国家的安全和国民的福祉，而保持某些政府文件的机密性。但我们明确指出，现行的<1972官方机密法令>不能成为用于这样做的法律。
<1972官方机密法令>是一项经常被滥用以掩盖刑事犯罪行为和政府不当行事的具有严重缺点的法律。它让执政者用来把一些政府文件列为“机密”，包括公路和水务特许协议，市议会会议记录和空气污染指数。
<1972官方机密法令>是一个国家政府需要隐藏一些不为人知的东西，也没有兴趣被追究其责任的最高象征。
眼前的事实是希盟的一名副部长正在为一份报告的保密而辩护，而这份报告的提出正是为了改革议程的进行。这也为民间组织要求希盟政府实现其改革承诺，敲响了警钟。
尤其是在改革是对建立一个坚固持久的民主政治至关重要的情况下，希盟政府绝对不能再有另一个U转。<1972官方机密法令>必须重新审查，以限制和约束那些可以实施的范围。而且，希盟政府必须兑现其大选宣言承诺：颁布一项<信息自由法令>（Freedom of Information Act），以与<1972官方机密法令>产生平衡作用。
从民间组织的观点来看，有利于国家的信息必须让所有人自由获得，以便那些为机构改革委员会作出贡献的民间组织和个人，更好地为大众利益提供我们的各种见解。
此外，我们呼吁希盟政府和朝野两个阵营政治人物作出承诺：
1）对<1972官方机密法令>进行全面审查，使它符合关于信息自由的国际标准，但限制它对国家安全、国防、国际关系和其他狭义定义标准的适用性;
2）立即制定和颁布<信息自由法令>（Freedom of Information Act）;
3）向公众发布在耆老理事会主持下编写的体制改革委员会（IRC）报告;
4）向公众发布耆老理事会（CEP）报告，在必要时对敏感的财务和其他机密信息进行修订。
Endorsed by / 联署单位:
1 Agora Society
2 Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN)
3 All Women's Action Siciety
4 Association of Women Lawyers
5 BERSIH 2.0
6 Beyond Borders
7 Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
8 Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism ( C4)
9 Childline Malaysia
10 Eliminating Deaths and Abuse In Custody Together (EDICT)
11 ENGAGE
12 Foreign Spouses Support Group
13 Friends of Kota Damansara
14 Gabungan Pembebasan Akademik IPT
15 Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy
16 Gerakan media Merdeka (Geramm)
17 Global Bersih
18 Green Friends Sabah
19 Health Equity Initiatives (HEI)
20 IDEAS
21 Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM)
22 KL & Sel Chinese Assembly Hall
23 Knowledge and Rights with Young people through Safer Spaces
24 KRYSS
25 LLG Cultural Development Centre
26 Malaysia Muda
27 Malaysian CARE
28 Monsoons Malaysia
29 Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF)
30 My Pj
31 National Human Rights Society (HAKAM)
32 PACOS Trust, Sabah
33 Penang Heritage Trust
34 Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (GERAK)
35 Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER)
36 Persatuan sahabat wanita selangor (psws)
37 Project Liber8
38 Pusat KOMAS (Co-Secretariat of CSO Platform for Reform)
39 Sahabat Rakyat 人民之友 மக்கள் தோழர்கள்
40 SAVE Rivers
41 Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM)
42 Sinar Project
43 Sisters in Islam
44 SM Muthu Kota Kinabalu
45 Suaram (Secretariat of CSO Platform for Reform)
46 Tanjung Bungah Residents Association (TBRA)
47 Tenaganita
48 Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy
49 The Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (PROHAM)
50 Toy Libraries Malaysia
51 University of Malaya Association of New Youth (UMANY)
52 Women' Center for Change
53 Women Development Organisation Malaysia
54 Women’s Aid Organisation
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