On April 28, the police arrested Maria Chin Abdullah, who is Executive Director (ED) of Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER). They wanted to question her over her involvement with #KitaLawan. She had been asked earlier to present herself at the Dang Wangi Police District Headquarters for questioning. A member of the BERSIH 2.0 Secretariat, programme manager Mandeep Singh, was also brought in for questioning as he waited in the lobby of the police district headquarters. Both were released on police bail after about an hour. They, along with Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tsin, are the latest targets of a wave of police investigations and arrests following Anwar Ibrahim's incarceration and the #KitaLawan rallies. EMPOWER is disturbed by the pattern of harassment and intimidation. It appears that the authorities are escalating their attempts to suppress dissent and are no longer even paying lip service to the rule of law or proper procedures. We question the timing of the latest arrests, days before May Day rallies are to take place around the country. Are the arrests an attempt at intimidating activists and preparing the ground for further arrests? It is also outrageous that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) is once again using the tired "scare" strategy of pointing to riots in other countries. There is no relevance. The Baltimore protests which he referred to were sparked by the brutal death of a man in police custody. We are further appalled that the Sabah police obtained a Magistrates Court order under Section 98 of the Criminal Procedure Code to ban the May Day rally in Kota Kinabalu. The ban prohibits 16 individuals, including the Sabah Vice-Chairperson of BERSIH 2.0 Jannie Lasimbang, former SUHAKAM commissioner Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, and members of the public from entering several areas in the city from April 27 to May 3. This is a ridiculously disproportionate response and disregards the Court of Appeal decision on challenges to similar bans prohibiting individuals from participating in the Bersih 3.0 rally. The Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and amendments to the Sedition Act have just been passed by Dewan Negara. We fear that they will be used to further strengthen the crackdowns. Now, more than ever, the country needs courageous and principled Malaysians to take a stand against the unchecked power of the State. EMPOWER calls on the authorities, particularly the Home Ministry and the police, to respect the rights of all Malaysians under the Federal Constitution. The rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association are an integral part of any democracy. We remind the government that its role is to serve the interests of the people, not preserve political power.