COMMENT BY YB PROF DR P.RAMASAMY, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER II, PENANG
Hypocrisy of MIC on SOSMA
The MIC supposedly representative of the Indian community cannot expose its hypocrisy within a matter of few days. It cannot provide legal assistance to the 21 Indian detainees of the total 50 who were arrested and detained recently under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
I understand that a few days ago about 50 Indians in Selangor, Federal Territory and Pahang were detained under Sosma for being members of 08 GST Gang.
The details about their crimes have not been provided to the lawyers yet, I understand. Some of them who were arrested had been in prisons between 2016 and 2021, the time the crimes were apparently committed.
While the MIC was putting on the show of providing free legal assistance to the detained Indians, its elected representative in the Parliament gave undivided support to the government in extending in the sub-section 4 (5) of Sosma for another five years.
In March this year, the motion to extend the sub-section was defeated by a narrow margin. This time around the motion to revoke the earlier decision and to extend the sub-section was successful with a clear majority.
The MIC might have a sole parliament member, but the fact remains he should have abstained from voting for the motion.
If the MIC is so concerned about the Sosma arrests and detention, it should have made it known loud and clear that it was against the extension.
The party’s refusal might not have affected the extension, but surely it would have sent a strong message that the party is against not just against the extension but also Sosma in general.
The MIC that constantly gives the impression that it is a “mother” party of the Indians was exposed as a hollow political organisation without substance.
The support of the extension of the sub-section merely went to reaffirm the hypocrisy and contradictory nature of the party.
How can the party that seeks to provide legal assistance to Sosma detainees and yet support the clause in Sosma that calls for the extension of detention of 28 days for the next five years.
The support for Sosma in the Parliament by the MIC renders its legal assistance null and void.
It is an utter shame!
Worse still, it gave the impression that the MIC was just fooling the Indians.
The propaganda on legal assistance could be just a pre-election gimmick.
Whatever said and done, there is nothing to stop the MIC from withering away.
