"Why I'm in Australia"
Muslim activist says if Canberra wants him out, he has other options. By Arfa'eza A Aziz, Malaysiakini exclusive.
Jul 31, 2002

Muslim activist Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff today said he left Singapore to escape political persecution by the People's Action Party (PAP) government, but denied that he is seeking political asylum in Australia.

"I can't go back now as they have prepared a 'house' for me in a prison cell for some charges, and we are not just talking about a mere two-year imprisonment here.

"We have been told that they have plans to charge me for some offences, convict me and put me in jail. They want me out of the picture," he told malaysiakini in a phone interview today.

(He was under investigation for criminal defamation but no charges had been laid.)

The 31-year-old editor of Fateha.com, a website on Singapore Muslims' concerns, also said he is determined to continue fighting for a better and transparent Singapore and being away from home will not dwindle his resolve.

"The fight is still on, insya'Allah (with God's blessing). We are going to carry on and this will only end when we have equality in Singapore," he said when asked if he had a message for his supporters in Singapore.

Zulfikar founded Fateha.com with two other friends in 1999 after realising that they could not rely on the local media to air their views on Muslim issues.

He was actively involved in several protests, including that against the government's decision to ban the tudung (head scarf) for female Muslim pupils in public schools.

When asked how he knew he would be prosecuted, Zulfikar said: "We did not anticipate it. We know it. We were told of these plans (to charge and convict him)."

He believed that the government was capable of carrying out the plan, seeing as in his recent conviction for wilfully trespassing a police station, the judge chose to rely on the inconsistent evidence of one police witness rather than the five defence witnesses.

"Lawyers have said that if I were to be convicted for that charge, it would be a miscarriage of justice. Yet I was convicted (and fined S$600)," he said.

Open criticism

He strongly believed that his persecution was mainly due to his open criticism of the appointment of Senior Lee Kuan Yew's daughter-in-law, Ho Ching, as the chairperson of Temasek Holding, a business arm of the government.

(Ho is married to Lee's son, Hsien Loong who is also the deputy prime minister and finance minister.)

"One of the main reasons was my article (posted at Fateha.com) about Ho. In Singapore you cannot question or discuss issues relating to Lee Kuan Yew's family even if it raises concerns of cronyism and nepotism," he said.

When asked if he will ever return to Singapore, he said his return was only a matter of time.

"I will return home when Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong is charged in court," he said, referring to the criminal defamation report he lodged against Goh and another minister for calling him an extremist.

"Once they charge him, I'll come back and face whatever charges that they have against me. At least I'll be assured that there is some independence in the judiciary.

"Even if they rig the trial and acquit him later, at least the prosecution will be a step forward for the legal system in the country.

"Now the situation is like this: As long as it involves PAP politicians, no action will be taken. They can't be touched."

As to the news report quoting Goh asking him to stay and fight in Singapore, Zulfikar said: "I'll be there if he agrees to fight out my complaint against him."

Asked how long he will be staying in Australia, he said that would depend on the Australian authorities. He said he is also considering other options in case the authorities ask him to leave.

Zulfikar denied that he had been planning to leave Singapore. He said he had planned on fighting the charges levelled against him although he was also aware that he could be jailed.

"I was prepared to serve whatever sentence passed on me. But I was advised by friends and family that if I am in jail, the causes I am fighting for will be buried and forgotten. People would be even more afraid to speak out against racial and religious injustices. No one will continue the struggle.

"Leaving Singapore will ensure that I can continue my fight and keep the issues alive from outside in many ways like through the Internet," he said.
Not a coward

He also denied he was being a coward for running off to Australia. He said that those who accused him of being one were the real cowards.

"These people have no courage to even speak for themselves or their community. People like Yatiman Yusuf (a Malay MP) who merely follow their political masters and dare not speak against their master should look into themselves and those who have the audacity to call me a coward should actually look at themselves instead," he said.

He also denied arranging for six-year-old Nurul Nasihah Nasser, one of the three pupils involved in the tudung controversy, to continue her studies in an Islamic college in Melbourne.

"Her parents planned it themselves as they were concerned that she has not attended school for the past six to seven months. They want her to get a proper education. It's ironic that we (Muslims in Singapore) are often accused of not being educated enough. But when we want to get an education, we are stopped," he said.

He said he hopes the other two students can follow Nurul's footsteps but their chances were slim due to financial constraint.

He said he will continue his job as the editor of Fateha.com though its operation has been hampered since police seized its computers following the criminal defamation report against him.

"They refused to return them. Although the officer said they will take them away for one or two days, it has been three weeks now. We scared that they might tamper with our computers and put something in there. But we are still trying to put things back together and I'm sure Fateha will continue its operation in a couple of days," he said.

Zulfikar is a father of four but his family has been unable to join him as his wife had to take care of their sick 16-month-old son.
malaysiakini