Shah Alam PKR parliamentarian, Khalid Samad of PAS has expressed confidence that the Internal Security Act will be abolished by society itself.

"I am confident that it will eventually be abolished, but I do not have a crystal ball to tell you when," said the MP who was an ISA detainee for 280 days under Operasi Lalang Oct 87.

He said that this would depend on an enlightened society that is knowledgeable in human rights and not on the government of the day.

dap abolish isa forum 230908 khalid samad 02 "When the society understand rights, laws such as the ISA will be irrelevant."

For this to happen, he says that society must express their respect for fellow human beings.

Khalid ( left ) was speaking at a public forum held last night entitled "Operasi Lalang Revisited: Will the ISA be abolished?"

The forum was organised by the Anti ISA Movement (GMI) to commemorate the 22 nd anniversary of Operasi Lalang.

He also lamented the fact that the Malay community was still feudalistic in their mind sets to the extent that they allowed the government to decide how their lives were to be lived.

Fellow panellist and ex-ISA detainee of the Operasi Lalang days, Kua Kia Soong called upon the GMI to change its strategy and continue to put pressure for the abolishment of the ISA.

He referred to his article, ISA: I Say Abolish several times to criticise the abuses of the ISA.

The article was published yesterday in Malaysiakini .

He was also pessimistic about Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's plans for reviewing the act.

"Najib's 1Malaysia is a facade for reforms," he said.

He also called for the ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture and the implementation of Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission proposed by the royal commission to enhance police operations and management.

Free to praise, not bury

gmi campaign launch 110408 syed ibrahim

Meanwhile, GMI president, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh ( right ) who moderated the session remarked that the people are only free as long as they are not against the government.

During the Q & A session, Khalid revealed that the Selangor government and Perak during the Pakatan administration had passed a motion against the ISA.

Two time ISA detainee, Kamaruddin Tahir also spoke during the Q&A session when the sessions was open to the floor.

He suggested that former premier, Dr Mahathir Mohamad should be detained under the act ‘because he has the largest nose in Malaysia'.

His cheeky suggestion brought laughter to the 150 people present.

Kamaruddin said that the ISA would not be abolished by the BN because they were "the creators and won't do it."

"Pakatan Rakyat has to do it (abolish the ISA)," he added.

Earlier on, Kota Damansara assembly person Nasir Hashim, who was also detained during Operasi Lalang, launched a book which is an anthology of poems on his experienceas a ISA detainee.

The book is entitlied Menyinsing Fajar Perjuangan .