|
 KUALA LUMPUR, Sunday, 19 October 2008 – “The Bar Council will
keep up the deafening sound of objections against the ISA,” said Lim Chee Wee,
the Secretary of the Bar Council, in his speech during the gathering to endorse
the abolition of the Internal Security Act, 1960 held at the Kuala Lumpur
Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) today.
Also speaking at the gathering were Dato’ Bong Hon Liong, President of KLSCAH,
Dr. Yap Sin Tian, Chairman of Dong Zong, Tan Sri Lim Gait Tong, President of the
Federation of Chinese Assembly Hall (FECAM), Ong Chiow Chuan, President of Jiao
Zong, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, Chaiman of Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI), Norlaila
Othman, wife of ISA detainee Mat Sah Mohd Satray, Marina Lee Abdullah, wife of
Raja Petra Kamarudin and Haris Ibrahim, lawyer and founder of the blog, The
People’s Parliament.
Based on the record provided by GMI Secretariat Enalini Elumalai, this year
alone GMI has organised over 30 events calling for abolition of the ISA. Today’s
endorsement by various organisations from all over the country is seen as the
beacon of hope for this draconian law to be abolished in very near future.
Lim Chee Wee in his speech also noted that endorsements are received from
organisations, which comprise not only human rights activists, political parties
on both sides of the spectrum and educationists, but even business people. If
even business people whom are conservative are concerned about ISA, this goes to
show how threatening the public as a whole find ISA, he explained. He also urged
the Prime Minister to add repealing ISA as his fourth initiative to his three
promised initiatives before he steps down.
Norlaila, also known as Kak Laila, stressed that the best way to recruit support
is by word of mouth. Marina suggested GMI to hold this sort of gathering all
over the country to increase the momentum.
Haris announced that The People’s Parliament has started “ISA Candlelight Vigil”
last week and invited the audience to attend the second vigil tonight. “Let’s
do it in every state and keep doing it until ISA is abolished,” he said.
The gathering which ended at about 1pm saw about 300 people from the various
organisations in attendance, including the President of Pertubuhan Jamaah Islah
Malaysia (JIM), Tn Hj Zaid Kamaruddin.
Also present were Brendan Siva, HR Dipendra and Richard Wee representing the
Kuala Lumpur Bar, Syamsuriatina Ishak representing the Selangor Bar as well as
the Bar Council Human Rights Committee and Amer Hamzah Arshad, Andy Yong, Fadiah
Nadwa Fikri, Maria Soosai Raj and Seira Sacha Abu Bakar also from the Bar
Council Human Rights Committee.
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All things said, the final question must remain how Malaysians treat their fellow Malaysians, specifically how Malaysian leaders regard their fellow Malaysians with differing views.
If any leader has to resort to indecent and draconian laws such as the ISA against his or her detractors and create so much suffering for their nuclear and extended families, it cannot be said to be a good thing.
The ISA was aimed at those who carried out the extra-constitutional and violent armed struggle. It was never intended for common citizens whose inalienable liberty is thereby infringed whensoever it is used against any common citizen.
Health permitting, I shall present myself at the candle-light vigil, if only to secure the liberty of future generations.
Together, we shall prevail, if not now than after my demise.
Stephen Tan Ban Cheng