Manoharan’s application to attend swearing-in ceremony rejected

KLANG: M. Manoharan, the ISA detainee who won the Kota Alam Shah state seat, said his application to attend the state assemblyman swearing-in ceremony expected to be held this month, has been rejected.

“I will not attend the ceremony because the Internal Security Ministry has rejected my wife’s application for my presence. I will not be allowed at the ceremony,” he said in a statement.

Manoharan’s wife S. Pushpaneela said she had submitted an application to the Kamunting detention camp director on March 21 allow her husband to be present for the ceremony.

She said the camp director replied through fax to Manoharan’s law firm in Kuala Lumpur the following day, rejecting the application without stating any reasons.

Pushpaneela said she would focus on the appeal against the High Court’s decision last month to strike out the order for release of the five ISA detainees that fixed for Wednesday at the Federal Court.

Manoharan, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) legal adviser, and four other Hindraf leaders - P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, K. Vasantha Kumar and R. Kengadharan - are under a two-year detention for their role in the Nov 25 protests in Kuala Lumpur.

In the March 8general election, Manoharan had stood on a DAP ticket and won the Kota Alam Shah state seat by a 7,184-vote majority over incumbent Ching Su Chen of Barisan Nasional.

Manoharan said in his statement that he was now waiting to serve the people.

“I cannot be a threat to national security when the majority of Klang residents want me to be their representative in the state assembly to fight for their rights,” he said.

By Christina Tan
Star Online