With due respect to the learned House Speaker Mohamed Zahir Ismail, I think that he did not act judiciously in rejecting Opposition Leader Abdul Hadi Awang's motion to discuss the federal court decision on the ISA 5.

The fact that they are still serving a two-year detention despite a clear ruling that the executive has no right in law to arrest them under section 73, makes the motion urgent. Liberty of the citizen is at stake and parliament must act in accordance with the rule of law.

It is terribly unfortunate that the Federal Court dragged its feet on the subsequent two-year detention order. The court could have ruled that the two-year detention order must fall. It could also have ordered the release of the ISA 5 (although Keadilan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor has to serve his Official Secrets Act sentence) and got out of the 'dilemma' it has created for itself by allowing the detention order to stay.

What the home minister wants to do after the order of release is not the court's business. If the home minister acts to re-arrest the ISA 5 under ISA again, it merely goes to show the executive's mala fide in the matter. The court's image nevertheless would not have been tarnished.