A British parliamentarian has tabled two motions regarding the misuse of the Internal Security Act and ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahims medical treatment to be debated in the House of Commons.
According to the British parliaments official website , Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn handed the notice for the two early day motions on April 10.
Early day motions allow British parliamentarians to put on record their opinion on a subject and canvass support for it from fellow MPs.
The first motion titled Internal Security Act of Malaysia expressed concern over the Malaysian governments misuse of the security law to detain political opponents and critics without trial.
The motion called on the House of Commons to ask for the repeal of the act and the release of five opposition leaders and one reformasi activist currently being detained under it.
The detainees, Keadilan leaders Tian Chua, Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Dr Badrul Amin Bahron, Lokman Noor Adam, Saari Sungib and malaysiakini columnist-cum-filmmaker Hishamuddin Rais, are serving a two year detention order for allegedly planning to topple the government via militancy.
They have denied the charge and claimed that their arrests last April were politically motivated. The six are currently staging a hunger strike to protest their continued incarceration.
Anwars treatment
Meanwhile, the second motion titled Continued Imprisonment of Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sought the Houses support for him to seek the medial treatment of his choice.
Anwar, who is serving a 15-year jail sentence for corruption and sodomy, wanted to undergo a spinal surgery in Germany but this was turned down by the government.
The former deputy premier was told to do the operation in Malaysia but he has refused.
At press time, 15 MPs had signed in support of the ISA motion and 16 for the one concerning Anwar.
Six Labour MPs, Lynne Jones, Robert Wareing, Martin N Caton, Harry Barnes and Mark Lazarowicz and Kelvin Hopkins, are supporting both motions.
Three others — John Cummings signed the ISA motion alone while Derek Wyatt and Paul Flynn inked their support for Anwar.
Both motions were also supported by Conservative Peter Bottomley, Scottish National Partys Annabelle Ewing, Welsh party Plaid Cymrus Simon Thomas and Liberal Democrats Alistair Carmichael, Andrew George, Mike Hancock and Paul Holmes.
No date has been fixed for debate and there is generally little prospect for one to be held on early day motions at the House of Commons, the lower house of the British parliament.
