Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin should make up his mind - can a detainee under the Internal Security Act (ISA) be effective or not as an elected representative?

umno supreme council special meeting 260809 muhyiddin yassin 01 DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng jubilantly took a swipe at Muhyiddin when asked to comment on ISA detainee M Manoharan’s apparent wish to resign his Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor.

Lim recalled that Muhyiddin (left) had called on voters to reject the candidacy of ISA detainees in the last general election on the ground that they would not be able to serve constituents effectively.

Now, however, Muhyiddin - who is also deputy premier - is saying that Manoharan can still serve his constituents through his agents, said Lim.

lim guan eng penang cm office pc 300409 “He is saying differently now. Perhaps he has repented,” Lim told journalists in George Town today.

Lim, who is Penang chief minister, suggested that Umno perhaps should also field ISA detainees as election candidates in future.

“By right the government should free all ISA detainees, shut down Kamunting camp and abolish the draconian law,” he said.

Muhyiddin had also criticised Pakatan Rakyat of abusing the democratic process by forcing by-elections through the resignation of its elected representatives.

Speculation is rife that Manoharan, who has been held at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping since Dec 13, 2007, may resign his seat to allow voters to elect someone who is in a better position to serve them.

Manoharan was detained following a mammoth rally organised by the now-banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) on Nov 25, 2007.

Disapproval of colleagues

Lim said his preference is that Manoharan should not resign, but that the party leadership has left the decision to the latter’s discretion.

Manoharan has said he will make a decision when he meets DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh next week.

“The party will respect and accept his decision, whatever it may be,” said Lim.

temple demolition court case 260307 m manoharan Former Hindraf leaders, though, question the need for Manoharan (left) , a lawyer, to resign given that Kota Alam Shah voters elected him knowing that he had been detained.

“He could be released by year’s end, which would then allow him to serve his constituents. We don’t want needless by-elections especially in the bad economic climate,” said a leader.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, another leader warned that Pakatan Rakyat’s winning streak could be snapped if voters, fed up with politicking, turn against the opposition coalition.

“The series of by-elections caused by resignations will diminish public confidence in Pakatan. It will make voters think twice about voting for Pakatan in the next general election,” he cautioned.

Since the 12th general election in March last year, five by-elections have been held. Pakatan won all four in the peninsula, while Barisan Nasional won the contest in Sarawak. The sixth by-election will be conducted in the Penanti state seat in Penang on May 31.

Of the by-elections, three - for the Permatang Pauh federal constituency and the Bukit Selambau and Penanti state seats - were called due to the resignation of the PKR elected representative.