I think it is unfair that Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor, the Keadilan youth chief, was remanded, especially the fact that police took action on the same day the report was lodged against him! Furthermore, the arrest was made based on a dubious news report in a government-controlled newspaper. Thus in all fairness, the journalist who wrote that piece of news or libel should be hauled up for remand, too.

My question here is, why the necessity to remand Ezam? Is he well known for running away from police questioning? In fact, on the last occasion when Ezam was asked to appear at the Dang Wangi police station, it was the police officer in charge who did not turn up, thus wasting Ezam's time.

In reality, remanding a person is akin to putting him in prison. Which is why a remand order should only be used as a precautionary measure of the last resort. It should only be used against suspects of violent crimes or suspects with a reputation of jumping bail. Ezam does not fit in either category. It is interesting to note that in previous remand cases towards members of opposition political parties, the suspects were never questioned at all during their remand period .

So what is the true motivation behind these strings of remand orders towards opposition members? Could it be to frighten or frustrate people into obeying the wishes of certain politicians? Could it also be a method of attempting to break down the spirit of those who wish to see an end to the transgression of their human rights that are established in our constitution?

Whatever the real reason, I hope the authorities would be more open and honest. And when is Suhakam going to start taking action rather that being a fact-finding organisation with no bite?