It may be one small step for our neighbour, but it's a giant leap for human rights advocates. The new Security Offenses Bill presented to the lower house of Malaysia's Parliament on Tuesday will limit detention without charge to 28 days, not indefinitely, as was the case under the repressive ISA law.
The British introduced the "Emergency Regulations Ordinance" in 1948 during the Malayan Emergency in response to a communist uprising and guerrilla war. Three years after The Emergency was declared over in 1960, the Internal Security Act was passed in place with the same powers to curb communist insurgency. Singaporean Chia Thye Poh, the world record holder for imprisonment by his wicked law, was detained under the ISA from 1966 to 1998, for allegedly being a communist. Maybe that's where the Americans got the idea for Abu Ghraib.
Today, Communists from China are welcomed with open arms, especially those bearing the promise of economic gifts. The Singapore Ministry of Education even send teachers out to traverse the PRC expanse to offer scholarships to little commie ingrates, only to have them label our senior citizens dogs after being feted at taxpayers' expense.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the new legislation will give police all the powers they need to protect national security and combat terrorism, at the same time introducing new safeguards for civil liberties to ensure that the highest standards are upheld.
That must sound all Greek to Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who stubbornly insisted in October 2011 that ISA helps Singapore to tackle not just terrorism, but also other threats such as foreign subversion, espionage and racial agitation. Teo ruled out all suggestions to replace the ISA with a Terrorism Act, unless the Act is "very broad in scope and provides for preventive detention, just like the ISA", i.e. replace the ISA with another ISA. This guy justifies detention without trial for terrorists by maintaining that such trials would "expose information terrorists could use to pursue their agenda". Needless to say, all open trials also tend to expose the hidden agenda of the prosecuting party. Maybe he should be sent across the Causeway to learn from our more enlightened neighbours, and paid like his Malaysian counterpart while he's taking lessons.
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What an embarrassment to the future hub of liberal arts education .... Singapore.
ReplyDeleteThere are benefits from ISA but many believe the power to detain indefinately is unjust. Is SIN cannot get rid of ISA, perhaps, a review should be made to ensure there is no excesses.
ReplyDeleteYeah, yesterdays enemies are now todays fertile genitals to suck. What a surprise.
ReplyDeleteWithout ISA, ISD would be severly undermined and trimmed down wouldn't it? The last thing we want is ex-ISD personnel doing useless stuff like writing propoganda articles and prejudiced editorials. Oh wait...
The ISA gives government lots of power to go after their enemies under imaginative or other trump up charges. They will not do it away. They will surely use it in future if anyone threatens severely their nepotistic rule.
ReplyDeleteMeaningful change can only come from voters, but sad to say most of them are scared off changes!
"If Malaysia is going to impose an additional toll, so will we, even though we are not spending a single cent to build any new express highway to link the Causeway". Let's wait and see whether in law, we will also play catch up with our neighbours justice system ?
ReplyDeleteWill there be a repeal or a modified version of this kind of one sided evil laws (especially if one is detained without solid evidence) for a 1st world democratic Govt to manipulate ?
Or are we going to use the same trick like we still need these laws but we will not enforce them ?
Singapore is now the backwater of Asia. Most Asian countries (e.g. Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines) are more free and democratic than Singapore.
ReplyDeletehttp://tealeafnation.com/2012/04/inforgraphic-democracy-in-east-and-south-asia-where-does-china-stand/
DeleteIndeed. We are no better than Mongolia and Taiwan definitely leapfrogged us on that scale! Recent gallup survey also puts us on 95th ranking for press freedom..but I guess everybody knows that.
An article from malaysia on political policing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/political-policing-from-britain-to-malaysia-part-1-shao-loong
For ISA to be of good riddance, you first need PAP to be of good riddance.
ReplyDelete//.. even send teachers out to traverse the PRC expanse to offer scholarships to little commie ingrates, only to have them label our senior citizens dogs after being feted at taxpayers' expense//
ReplyDeleteIf only PAP opens their eyes and see..these same PRC graduates back home actually would have to contend with trash-sorter jobs..because that's what's available. And here we have them demanding left right center for subsidy and help in every ways or glorious PMET jobs for some!! If they can even get enlightened on small issue like this, expect them to grasp enlightenment for big issue like ISA?
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/7784341.html
Yup, he should be sent to Malaysia to learn about marching with the times.
ReplyDeleteAnd our world class transportation "experts" should be sent to Hong Kong to learn how to run a trouble free mass rapid rail system despite they having to cope with a higher population density.
PRC Mayor wannabes coming here to train at the NTU? Pardon me, shouldn't it be the other way round?
The higher you climb, the more visible you become. If you cannot hide well, you got shot. The same story had been told from generation to generation. I am sure our government is well aware of it.
ReplyDeleteSo when we start to boast to others the greatness of our transport system, medical, education, security, housing etc, the effort to maintain the perceived standard is tremendous. This is even so, when what was broadcasted could be short of the real truth i.e. over sold.