Cover image via imgur.com
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
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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.
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During 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 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.
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Following in the footsteps of his uncle, Dalbinder is an aspiring lawyer who studied law in England, striving for a better Malaysia
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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
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The burger stall that is aptly named "Street Grill" is a reflection of Dalbinder's hope to seek for betterment in society for the people
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Dalbinder 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.
The 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.
If found guilty, Dalbinder could face a fine of up to RM5,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both
His 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.
Like 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 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."
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"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."
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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.
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