As Deputy Premier Najib Razak prepares to succeed Premier Abdullah Badawi on April 1 - yes, April Fool’s Day if news reports are correct - Malaysians can expect a major clampdown on press freedom, political rallies and the overall democratic space they have grown used to during Abdullah’s reign. Police fired the first salvo yesterday, with Inspector-General Musa Hasan saying he would leave it to state police to decide if they wanted to ban political ceramahs in Perak state, where there is a hardening standoff between the Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional over which is the legitimate state government.
His comments were taken as a harbinger of harsher action to come, and were soundly denounced by both Pakatan leaders and civil society groups, alarmed by the recent wave of cloak-and-dagger intrigue in the local political scene. [read more]






