ISA will not be used against DAP leader: deputy minister
The government does not intend to use the Internal Security Act against DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang for distributing 'seditious' materials, said Deputy Home Affairs Minister Zainal Abidin Zin today.
Official news agency Bernama quoted the deputy minister as saying that other laws were sufficient to deal with the matter.
He said the ISA is used only when the materials are prejudicial to security and create discontent among the people which can lead to racial conflicts.
"The police know the contents of the materials which were distributed and will take the appropriate action.
"The ISA will be employed when the cooperation we ask to control the situation is ignored," said the deputy minister after attending a function in Bukit Merah, Perak.
On Wednesday, the DAP leader was detained in Ipoh for distributing leaflets which allegedly contained seditious remarks against Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's declaration last September that Malaysia was an Islamic state.
Lim was later released on RM3,000 police bail and told to be present at the Ipoh Magistrate's Court on July 5.
The next day, police raided the Perak DAP headquarters and confiscated some 5,000 leaflets.
The opposition leader's detention elicited strong criticism from various quarters who lambasted the police for making an "unlawful arrest".
Political gimmick
Meanwhile, Zainal described the opposition party's campaign against Mahathir's declaration as a "political gimmick".
"DAP should have waited for the general election to see if the public accepts or rejects the Islamic state declaration," he said.
He went on to say that although Malaysia was an Islamic country, religious freedom is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution and that has not been amended.
The deputy minister said he hoped that DAP does not turn the matter into a racial one which can disrupt the country's stability.
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