PETALING JAYA, SEPT 27- Two former ISA detainees today lashed out at the government for ‘re-introducing ‘ an ISA-like law back into the country.
Suaram advisor Dr Kua Kia Soong and veteran political activist Hishamuddin Rais, who both served prison sentence in the Kamunting detention camp, expressed their anguish by describing the move as ‘shameful’.
Talking to FMT, Kua defined the government’s decision as the most shameful day for the nation and lack of political will from the Home Ministry.
“It is a shameful day for all of us. We needed a barbaric act just to solve our crime problems, which to me is totally unacceptable,”
“Developed countries solved their crime problems with integrity and proper methods but we, instead of learning from them, imposed an act which is clearly an abuse of human rights.
Kua who is also an academician said that the move to re-introduce ISA-like law has vividly showed that the vision for national progress uttered by Barisan Nasional’s government is failing.
“The government has to rely on this kind of act; it shows that the national progress is a failure,”
“If other countries like Hong Kong can have an independent anti corruption commission to investigate criminal offense cases, why can’t we do the same?”
“Why do we need to rely on anti-human rights law,” he said.
Slick Najib
Meanwhile, Hishamuddin Rais said that Najib Razak’s absence in parliament showed how slick he is in resolving national issues.
“He is not in parliament when the law was presented thus opposition party members could not pose questions to him,”
“I do hope that foreign journalists in New York, where he is right now, can ask him what happened to his transformation program,” said the renowned activist.
Hishamuddin stressed that the new law will receive negative backlash from the rakyat as they had called for a more transparent system prior to the general election.
“The rakyat will oppose this new law, that is for sure,” he said.
