Keadilan condemns ISA arrest

Sivarasa Rasiah, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Thu 13 Dec 2007
 

Parti Keadilan Rakyat condemns the arrest and detention under the Internal Security Act 1960 of five Hindraf leaders today. It is reported in The Star that their detention orders were signed by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi detaining them for up to two years under section 8 of the ISA.

If the Government has evidence of any criminal offences committed by these five persons, then it is only proper that they must be charged and tried in open court.

The practice of locking up a citizen for two years using vague and unproven allegations of being a threat to national security has no place in any civilised society. We must be able to deal with these issues through a transparent court process. Every citizen has a fundamental and inalienable right to public trial.

Keadilan has consistently called for the repeal of the ISA as a draconian law that makes the claim of a functioning democracy in Malaysia completely hollow.

The Prime Minister had previously threatened the use of the ISA in the name of "national stablility ". He has failed to see that that using the draconian ISA in this manner will only exacerbate tensions within the country. It will take us further away from true national unity. His authorisation of these detentions will now raise questions as to what are the actual motives of the Barisan Nasional in invoking this draconian law.

We expect that the Prime Minister will soon repeat again the innuendoes he made recently about police intelligence about violent planned intent. We note that in 2001 the then Inspector General of Police made wild allegations of violent intent by several Keadilan leaders before arresting and detaining them under the ISA. In subsequent court challenged to those detentions, the police could not produce a shred of evidence to substantiate these allegations.

Unrealistic demands or loose or exaggerated language by Hindraf leaders cannot in any manner be equated to so-called "threats to national security".

Keadilan reiterates: release the Hindraf leaders or charge them in open court!

Sivarasa Rasiah
Vice-President
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
13th December 2007