What Can A 24-Year-Old Law Student Do As He Waits For The Unavoidable Sedition Charge?
Dalbinder Singh, nephew to the late Karpal Singh, is not letting a sedition investigation faze his hope for a better Malaysia.
By Mei Mei Chu — 21 Jan 2015, 04:31 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
On 30 September 2014, Dalbinder Singh Gill, nephew to the late Karpal Sigh, surrendered himself to the police after two officers knocked on his doors, asking for his arrest
Relating how the police had gone to his house at Jesselton Heights, Penang, looking for him at about 8pm, Dalbinder said: "I was out. They took photos of my house from outside. "My mother got tensed, wondering what crime I had committed. The officers left after they got my contact details.”
themalaysianinsider.com
The 24-year-old was one of the many Malaysians who were caught in the Sedition Act dragnet late last year. His crime was for questioning the Malay special rights and the institution of the monarchy on his personal Facebook page.
Dalbinder was arrested and quizzed for several hours at the Northeast District Police Headquarters along Jalan Patani for his Facebook posts questioning bumiputera rights and the institution of the monarchy.
malaysiakini.comDuring the interrogation at the Northeast Police District headquarters, Dalbinder willingly surrendered his iPhone and iPad to the police. The police were very interested in the devices he used to go online.
Dalbinder said nothing much was recorded during his interrogation as he did not want to talk about his posting without having a lawyer with him. "Half of what we talked about was my phone. They wanted to confiscate it.""They asked a couple of questions about the posting but I did not answer. I only confirmed that the Facebook account was mine."
themalaysianinsider.com
Dalbinder said the policemen were quite nice to him and he cooperated with them, even letting them have his iPad for investigation purposes. "They wanted to know what devices I used to go online, so I just told them. No point wasting time. Now the police have both my Apples," he said, referring to his iPhone and iPad.
themalaysianinsider.com
Dalbinder was released on bail the next morning after spending a night at the police station. He is expected to be charged with sedition in February.
Following in the footsteps of his uncle, Dalbinder is an aspiring lawyer who studied law in England, striving for a better Malaysia
Instead of sitting at home worrying about the impending sedition charge, Dalbinder has taken up work at a friend's burger stall in Gurney Drive
The 24-year old law student is now selling home made burgers at his friend Abu Hassan’s stall in Gurney Drive, in the evenings, apart from helping his dad run a hotel on the island.
malaysiakini.comThe burger stall that is aptly named "Street Grill" is a reflection of Dalbinder's hope to seek for betterment in society for the people
The burger stall, where you can find him flipping grilled chicken is named “Street Grill”, which reflects his aspirations to be with the people, to seek for change, he said.
malaysiakini.comDalbinder may be young, but the Sedition Act does not seem to faze him. "At the rate the country is going with the sedition arrests, one day selling burgers may also be seditious," he laughed during a chat with Malaysiakini.
“At the rate the country is going with the sedition arrests, one day selling burgers may also be seditious,” he laughed, when Malaysiakini met him along Gurney Drive last night.
malaysiakini.comThe sedition investigation came as a total surprise for Dalbinder as his Facebook profile is set to private. Only his friends were supposed to be able to view his posts, yet it was a police officer who lodged the report against him.
The 24-year-old nephew of the late Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh said he was disappointed that he could not even voice his opinions on his Facebook page. The page is set as private and only his friends on the social network are able to view his postings, he said. "I did not expect the police to come after me over my Facebook posting. I thought it was about something I had said at ceramahs I participated in," he told The Malaysian Insider.
themalaysianinsider.com
He said he was also informed that the police report against him, which led to the sedition probe, was lodged by a police officer. His mug shot and fingerprints were also taken during his brief detention at the district police headquarters.
themalaysianinsider.com
If found guilty, Dalbinder could face a fine of up to RM5,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both
Northeast District police chief ACP Mior Faridalatrah said Dalbinder was arrested by the Cyber Crime Department in Kuala Lumpur, under Section 4(1) (C) of the Sedition Act, for publishing or reproducing seditious publications. If convicted, he faces a fine of not more than RM5,000, or up to three years' jail or both.
malaysiakini.comHis biggest worry is not the sentence, but how it would interfere with his studies. Dalbinder is entering the second year of law school in May, of which he had paid RM4,5000 for.
While he is ready to face the music, Dalbinder is somewhat concerned that the matter may interfere with his 2nd year LLB exam in May, which recently cost him RM4,500.
malaysiakini.comLike many other hopeful Malaysians, he is disappointed that not only did the Prime Minister broke the promise to repeal the Sedition Act, Najib even made a declaration to strengthen the law
He is disappointed that the government continues to oppress its citizens with the Act, which Prime Minister Najib Razak had planned to abolish in 2012. However, Najib u-turned on his promise to repeal the Act, and instead declared last year at his Umno AGM that the government would “strengthen and fortify” the law.
malaysiakini.comHe encompassed the frustrations of young Malaysians when he was quoted saying, "In school we were told to speak out, to be critical but when we leave school, things are so different. There is no freedom of speech."
"One of the best things about being young is the desire to express ourselves, to be vibrant and energetic in sharing our views, but in this country, it cannot happen."
Dalbinder has a long way to go before he graduates, yet he has already set his sights on liberating the country. "The struggle to free Malaysia must go on," he said, sounding very much like a cub to his late uncle, the Tiger of Jelutong.
Asked if he experienced sleepless nights pending his possible charge in February, Dalbinder said, “I have no problems sleeping as my conscience is clear”. “Next month, I do not know where I would be sleeping, but it is okay. The struggle to free Malaysia must go on”.
malaysiakini.com