ISA repeal gives Pakatan the edge
B Nantha Kumar | September 21, 2011
With the announcement of the abolishment of the Internal Security Act, the Najib administration will face new challenges.
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s repeal of the Internal Security (ISA) Act is a victory for the opposition and a slap to Umno lackeys and pro-establishment bloggers who have been championing its continued existence.
For decades, the opposition has been campaigning for the abolishing of the ISA, and no prime minister has ever “succumbed” to the pressure.
But Najib is different, or is he?
Last Friday, in conjunction with Sept 16 Malaysia Day celebrations, Najib announced the repeal the ISA.
A week earlier, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the government had no intention of doing so.
Najib’s announcement on the abolishing of the ISA was followed by his statement that the 1960 Act will be replaced by two other soon-to-be legislated acts.
Although rumblings of Najib’s previous inconsistencies, political “gimmick” and “farce” are filtering the grapevine, political pundits have nevetheless welcomed the move.
ISA was enacted in 1960 in a bid to curb communism in Malaysia. The act allowed for indefinite detention without trial.
In the years following the enactment, the act became a tool for Barisan Nasional’s hold on the power seat despite agreements between the Malaysian government and the Malaya Communist Party (CPM) in 1989.
The agreement was signed in Hatyai,Thailand. It was a clear indication and acceptance that Malaysia was free from the Communist threat.
No impact on people
But to the BN, the 1960 Act was a “weapon” of choice used to intimidate and instil fear.
The opposition party leaders often accused the BN government of using the ISA for its own political interests, to catch anyone who is not in line with government ideology.
A case in point is the October 1987 Operasi Lallang exercise where some 106 people were detained under the ISA and the publishing licences of two newspapers The Star and Sin Chew Jit Poh and another two weeklies The Sunday Star and Watan were revoked.
In the following years, the ISA was used to detain Hindraf leaders, famous blogger Raja Petra Kamarudddin, parlimentarian Teresa Kok and local Chinese daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng.
This aside, there have been several other incidents that have made the ISA a matter of public concern to a point that on Aug 1, 2009, tens and thousands of Malaysians took to the street to protest against the controversial act.
But now that Najib has announced the repeal, the question of “impact” is upmost in most minds.
To begin with, the decision to repeal the ISA will have little value in the rural areas. BN can forget about making it a campaign issue in rural areas.
The rural community is not interested in national politics. It’s the day-to-day bread and butter issues that matter to them.
New challenges
But the repeal of the act is of interest to the urban community.
Having said this, the reality is that the scrapping of the ISA will have no impact on urbanites because many of them are already opposition supporters.
So the repeal of ISA will give opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat an upperhand. Pakatan has been consistently calling for the elimination of the ISA.
It could be even said that almost every week, the opposition party leaders talk about the cruelty of the ISA.
Repealing the ISA gives the impression that the opposition is now “more” powerful to the point that it can compel nation’s prime minister to abolish the act.
It is learnt that with the abolition of the ISA, the opposition is ready to continue pressing BN for the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) and the use of indelible ink in the general election.
There are also other important demands which the opposition is going to push for.
These will clearly be new challenges for Najib administration.
Pro-Umno, ISA supporters at loss
Najib’s announcement can also be viewed as “disastrous” to Malay right-wing associations, Umno-friendly bloggers and BN coalition parties which have been fervently defending the need for the perpetuation of the ISA.
In fact, a pro-Umno blogger, who is an ardent pro-ISA supporter, is now feeling the punch of the opposition.
He admitted that he has been subject to bully and ridicule since Najib announced the repeal of the ISA last Friday.
He also said that many NGOs like Perkasa, the associations of former military personnel and policemen and students associations which had championed the ISA, were now silent and “unsure”.
To declare their acceptance of Najib’s announcement would mean admitting that they are Umno’s servants and thus have no policies of their own.
This, invariably, will affect their popularity with members and the public. The opposition, however, has been urging these groups to state their stand on the repeal.
Another important thing to note here is the communism factor in Malaysia.
Najib’s announcement has indirectly indicated that Malaysia is free from the communist threat.
Meanwhile, the two new acts which are expected to be enacted to replace the ISA have come under heavy criticism by the opposition.
According to Hishammuddin, the two new acts that will be introduced by the government, in place of the ISA, are based on the United States Patriot Act and Anti-Terrorism Act in the United Kingdom.
If that is the case, under the new acts, the enforcement agencies would be likely to be allowed to investigate the records of phone calls, e-mails, and medical and financial status of any politician.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/21/isa-repeal-gives-pakatan-the-edge/
