Anwar Ibrahim warned on Saturday that a crackdown on opposition members and journalists was an attempt to derail his bid to unseat the government. He said there was the possibility of more arrests, but added the opposition alliance still planned to take power soon by enticing government legislators to defect.On Friday, the authorities arrested an opposition member of parliament, a well known blogger, and a journalist by invoking the Internal Security Act (ISA), which permits the indefinite detention of people without trial. Police said the three had made comments that inflamed racial and religious hatred.
The journalist, Tan Hoon Cheng, was later released on Saturday after the government said she had been taken into custody for her own protection.
The detentions came shortly before Anwar hopes to wrest power from the coalition that has ruled this nation of 27 million for the 51 years since independence from Britain.
'There is a possibility of a second wave (of arrests). We are mindful of the fact,' Anwar told a press conference.
'This is Malaysia not Zimbabwe. They should not resort to desperate measures to stay to power,' said Anwar, who faces trial on what he says are trumped up allegations of sodomy.
Anwar, 61, was jailed in the late 1990s on charges of sodomy and corruption, losing his post of deputy prime minister.-Reuters
-------------------
Meanwhile, an analysis by Malaysian Insider questioned why was Sin Chew Daily News reporter Tan Hoon Cheng released 24 hours after her arrest under the Internal Security Act (ISA)? Was it because the alleged threat on her life somehow disappeared just as fast it appeared on the police radar screen?The simple answer: The intervention by Barisan Nasional politicians, including a few from Umno, who were convinced that the government had committed a grave injustice by arresting a journalist who was only doing her job when she reported Datuk Ahmad Ismail's reckless description of Malaysian Chinese as squatters in the country. And who were concerned of the heavy political punishment that would be exacted on the Barisan Nasional for this mistake.
The Malaysian Insider has learnt that several Umno politicians met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last night after finding out about the arrest. They argued that the detention appeared to be a move to punish the messenger who had exposed an Umno division chief.
Wearing their political antennas, they also noted that the Chinese community ~ already peeved with the Barisan Nasional over a range of issues ~ is recoiling with anger over her detention. One of the Umno politicians noted that if Tan deserved to be held under the ISA so did Ahmad who not only sparked off the ugly episode during the Permatang Pauh by-election but compounded it by making a series of inflammatory remarks after that.
This morning, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting spoke to Abdullah, and voiced the party's distress over the reporter's detention under the ISA. He noted that the Chinese community felt that this action was unjustified and could have far reaching consequences for race relations. It is understood that Abdullah empathised with him. Or more likely was only too aware of the political cost of prolonging the detention.
Tan was released at 2.30pm, presumably after the PM gave instructions to Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar. Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng welcomed her release.
"Her unconditional release is a people's victory and the outcome of sustained public pressure against the use of draconian laws," he said in a press statement.
He is right. Sustained pressure by politicians and some government officials close to the PM persuaded him to overrule the police. What is clear from the detention of Tan, DAP's Teresa Kok and blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin is that the government will have to contend with stronger public activism than ever before. Partly this is driven by the sense of injustice over singling out these three individuals and partly it is the result of a more politically conscious society. Catholic churches are organising vigils for Kok and Raja Petra.-Malaysian Insider.
On why Tan was detained under the Internal Security Act and not Ahmad, Syed Hamid said that police investigations are on-going.
“I don’t think we treat politicians differently. We have taken action. That politician has been suspended three years by the party. He lose all his position. At the same time, there is a (police) report of sedition (against Ahmad),” he said.
Asked why the police had to invoke the ISA on Tan instead of just calling her in to assist with their investigations, Syed Hamid said that the decision was the prerogative of the police.-Malaysiakini.
--------------------
But the sheer ignorance on the part of the gomen to use ISA as a tool to harass the people from expressing their views should be condemned. If the gomen thinks that these people had committed crimes thru their expression then charged them under the existing laws..............
Read here,here and here.
cheers.
No comments:
Post a Comment