Dissident Spotlight: Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque
Zulkifili Ulhaque is a cartoonist in Malaysia who has faced what were effectively life sentences from his government for pointing out its officials' corruption.
One of the first things written on Zulkifli Answar Ulhaque’s website is this striking quote:
“How Can I be Neutral, Even My Pen Has a Stand”
Ulhaque has used his pen to illustrate the corruption of the Malaysian government. Several of his books are banned in Malaysia, apparently for representing the country’s leaders too honestly.
The Malaysian government didn’t stop at banning Ulhaque’s books, though. In February 2016, Ulhaque was arrested for nine images he posted online with political messaging the regime disapproved of. He was threatened with up to 43 years in prison for sedition, the production of writing that could incite violence against the state.
It’s just like a despotic regime to blame the people who point out the corruption for the anger that ordinary people may feel when government services are dysfunctional, but government bureaucrats are among the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country.
The sedition charges were dropped against him in 2018, but Ulhaque continues facing harassment from a government that does not want to reveal its extravegance to ordinary people.
Potential for Violence as a Scapegoat
Authoritarians use the specter of violence to justify the extreme use of force against its citizens.
Dictatorships may keep crime low, but defenders of authoritarian governments leave out the new swath of crimes that citizens can be charged with. A Facebook post that would go unnoticed in the United States would become the basis for a multi-year prison sentence in a less secure regime.
Even existing laws expand their definitions. Sedition expands from organizing an actual rebellion to publishing cartoons making fun of politicians who skim off the top of political organizations.
Ulhaque is a reminder of how crime can become arbitrary when the government is run by criminals.