Mahathir You should feel ashamed and apologize to the Malaysian People!
Press Statement: 30th September 2009
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) views that the statement made by the former Prime Minister regarding the need for the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Malaysia is irresponsible. The former Prime Minister must be unaware of the reality that people of Malaysia are strongly against the draconian ISA and they want this act to be abolished immediately. This was made crystal clear to the government on the 1st of August 2009 when tens of thousands of people on the street demanding for the abolishment of the ISA.
We would like remind the former premier that his call to retain the ISA is no longer relevant and people of Malaysia have awakened and he cannot manipulate reality the way he did during his premiership. There is no more space for any review or amendments to the act. In fact, ISA should be abolished without any delay. Practicing arbitrary arrest and detention without trial by hanging on to an anachronistic law, which was formulated to tackle the emergency situation many decades ago, only disgraces Malaysia in the eyes of the world.
SUARAM also condemns the justification made by the Dr. Mahathir on why he arrested 107 people under the ISA in the operation called “Operasi Lalang” in 1987. SUARAM finds the statement shameless and he should apologize to all those detainees who have been arrested, tortured and detained in Kamunting detention camp without trial for two years. Detaining a person under the ISA which allows for detention without trial no matter on opposition leaders, UMNO leaders or anybody else is completely unjust. This goes against the Universal Declaration of Human rights, International Human Rights law, Malaysian Federal Constitution and also fundamental human rights and liberties. Making a public statement to justify the use of the ISA that have violated the rights of many people during the “Operasi Lalang” shows how cruel and how uncivilized a leader he was. Even now he has no respect to the rule of law!
SUARAM would also like to point out that, since the enactment of the ISA in 1960, all the Prime Ministers have been using the ISA to silence critics and political opponents of the ruling United Malay National Organization (UMNO). Dr. Mahathir was one of those Prime Ministers who used the ISA widely against Malaysian citizens during his twenty two years of premiership. He has arrested more than 2000 people under the ISA, including the former Deputy Prime Minister and current opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. This ‘track record’ is something to be ashamed about and not to be proud off!
Until this moment, ISA detainees continue to be subjected to arbitrary detention, physical abuse, and ill treatment and without any effective judicial review on the merits of their detention. The new Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should not follow the footsteps of the Former Prime Ministers. Prime Minister Najib should break the trend of the past authoritarian governments and declare an end to the practice of detaining suspects without trial. If the Prime Minister is serious about his slogan, “People First, Performance Now”, then he should abolish the ISA and free Malaysians from the terror of ISA.
By,
Nalini.E
SUARAM Coordinator