Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has dedicated her honorary law doctorate to the late Baharuddin Ahmad and the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leaders now held under the Emergency Ordinance.
The Bersih 2.0 chairman also dedicated the award, conferred by her alma mater, the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, to the “brave people of Malaysia” whom she said had overcome “fear of intimidation and harassment” when they dared to march with her on July 9.
“The real heroes of that day are our friend and supporter Allahyarham Baharuddin Ahmad who paid the ultimate price in fighting a noble cause, the six members of the Socialist Party of Malaysia who, as we speak, sit in solitary confinement under preventive detention laws and finally the brave people of Malaysia who overcame their fear of intimidation and harassment to uphold their fundamental rights.
“With all my heart, I dedicate this honour you have bestowed upon me to them,” she said in her university acceptance speech received here today.
She touched briefly on the events of July 9 but did not lash out at the Najib administration, choosing instead to honour Bersih 2.0 supporters and advise graduating law students to use their knowledge to fight injustices.
“You have already heard of the events of July 9 in Malaysia. Whilst it brought out the worst in some, it brought out the best in others and this is where our hope lies,” she said.
Ambiga dedicates UK doctorate to Baharuddin, PSM 6
