KOTA KINABALU, 30 June 2009: There is no need for the Internal Security Act (ISA) to be reviewed or amended as the government should instead repeal it, a senior Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) leader said today.
PBRS Vice-President I Baharuddin Nayan said there was also no need for the government to introduce another act to replace the ISA should the ISA be repealed because existing laws were sufficient to cater for the enforcement needs of the authorities.
Baharuddin, however, supported the proposed review for 32 other acts as announced by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein recently.
“I voiced out against the ISA as early as in 1992 as I feel that ISA detainees have not been treated well, and this is against human right principles.
“There are many others, including non-governmental organisation leaders, who voiced out against the ISA and wanted it repealed,” he told Bernama.
Baharuddin was commenting on a statement by Hishammuddin that the Home Ministry would evaluate and review 33 acts with a view to amending and bringing them up to date.
They include the ISA, Restricted Residence Act 1933, Prevention of Crime Act 1959, Explosives Act 1957, Corrosive and Explosive Substance and Offensive Weapon Act 1958, Restricted Areas and Places Act 1959, Second-hand Dealers Act 1946, Criminal Justice Act 1953, and Registration Of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1960. — Bernama
raguel says
Well said, good guts but how many forceful supporters and vocal advocates [do] we have here?
PM says
It seems that more and more MPs want the ISA to be repealed. However to date, no one has moved the motion in Parliament. Why is this so? Come on you MPs from Gerakan, DAP, PBRS, PKR, PAS, SAPP – it’s time to act on the ISA once and for all, and stop all the noise.
Main says
One thing baffles me. All this while, [when] we [look] at people [who do] wrong things, should they be treated as normal human beings or should they be left “untreated”? Most cases show that future implications are being considered, not the initial wrongdoing or accusations only. And by God, the future implications of most of these cases are immeasurable the instant it is done.