Gabungan Mansuhkan ISA doubts that Najib is serious about repealing the draconian law
Gabungan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI), which is a coalition of NGOs, said in a statement released here that it was not impressed by a news report saying Najib was keen to abolish the controversial act despite resistance from the Home Ministry and right wing groups within Umno.
It said it doubted the honesty of the source who gave the information to the Malaysian Insider.
However, the statement added that Najib could prove GMI wrong and that he was sincerely against detention without trial by repealing all laws that allow it.
The statement was signed by E Nalini, a member of the GMI secretariat.
“We challenge the Prime Minister of Malaysia to repeal all detention-without-trial acts with immediate effect,” she said.
“We demand that all laws that allow detention without trial, such as the Emergency Ordinance (EO) and the Dangerous Drugs Act, are eliminated together with the ISA.”
The Malaysian Insider, quoting “a government source”, reported yesterday that Najib was considering scrapping the ISA before the next general election.
“There is resistance to the idea, but the PM is convinced that the law is unnecessary as there are other laws to deal with security,” the source allegedly said.
Nalini said this meant that Najib planned to use the EO instead of the ISA to silence dissent because the latter act was better known and more often criticised.
“This indicates that Najib is only thinking about bolstering his image, both overseas and locally, as abolishing the ISA will not solve the fundamental issue of detention without trial,” she said.
“Abolishing the cruel and barbaric ISA, but still wanting to use the EO, which grants excessive powers to the police and Home Minister and also denies the accused the right to trial, is the height of hypocrisy.”
Nalini also questioned whether Najib would be able to persuade his cabinet to accept the idea of repealing the ISA.
Nearly 11,000 people have been incarcerated at the Kamunting detention centre under the ISA since 1960.
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