DAP has slammed the Home Ministry's decision to appeal the Shah Alam High Court's decision to free Malaysia Today website editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin from detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang said the decision showed Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar's "utter contempt for the fundamental concept of the rule of law and the most rudimentary commitment to human rights in the country."
The Ipoh Timur MP pointed to Syed Hamid's actions in issuing a detention order under Section 8 of the ISA on Sept 22 not because raja Petra constituted a threat to national security but to frustrate the editor's earlier habeas corpus application.
Raja Petra had been summarily packed off to the Kamunting Detention Centre to start a two-year formal detention pending a second habeas corpus application.
On Friday, after a 56-day detention, Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad had ruled in the blogger's habeas corpus application that the Home Minister acted outside his powers in detaining Raja Petra under the ISA.
In a press statement today, Lim called Syed Ahmad's decision a "positive reflection in the last five months of" Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi's administration and "should be the occasion for the Cabinet to undertake a full review of the draconian laws in the country as well as to uphold the doctrine of the separation of powers by repealing all legislation which institutionalises the executive usurpation of judicial powers."
He further called on the Cabinet to overrule Syed Hamid's decision to appeal the court's decision.
"The Prime Minister should restrain Hamid from proceeding until there is a full review of the matter by both the Cabinet as well as Parliament.
"Will the MCA and Gerakan Ministers and leaders stand up now to oppose Syed Hamid's decision?" he said, referring to the resolutions passed by both parties' national assemblies recently to resolve the issue of the ISA.
The statement also announced that the anti-ISA Parliamentary Caucus will hold an emergency meeting in Parliament tomorrow to discuss the issue and two candle-light vigils will be held tonight - one at Taman DR Seenivasagam, Ipoh and another at Padang Timur, Petaling Jaya.
DAP leaders will be present at both vigils.
By Shannon Teoh
Malaysian Insider
09/11/08
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