The government does not intend to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) anytime soon, said Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak today.

He said the ISA was a vital pre-emptive measure to curb threats to national security due to the changing global environment, which requires the government to adopt a "prevention is better than cure" approach.

"We know from medical science that for a number of critical illnesses, by the time they are detected, the bulk of the damage would already have been done.

"Such is the case with the terrible affliction that is terrorism," said the minister in his keynote speech at a function organised by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to commemorate the World Human Rights Day which was celebrated on Dec 10.

He added that the ISA allowed the government to suppress suspected terrorist networks such as the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Kumpulan Mujahiddin Malaysia (KMM).

"The mind boggles as to what disasters could have happened had we allowed members of the JI and KMM to roam free" he said.

Different priorities

Najib also took a swipe on countries which according to him champion the rights of the individual, but struggle to focus on the rights of communities and groups.

He highlighted the examples of the 600 civilian prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and debates on the use of headscarves by Muslim women in Singapore and France as acts against preserving fundamental human rights.

While saying that he subscribes to the ideal of universal human rights and values, he said that he also believes that nations have different priorities to rights according to their stage of development.

He stressed that the government of Malaysia has taken a "balanced and reasonable approach" towards stability and freedom.

"I believe most Malaysians appreciate that the first duty of government is to ensure that this national fabric of ours... does not get torn and permanently damaged" he said.

Open to review

Najib also mentioned that the government was open to a review of the "procedural aspects" of the ISA, and that the government had already made amendments to the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2003, based on the recommendations from Suhakam.

"Nevertheless, the ISA will continue to be used by the government in appropriate cases where circumstances do not allow a use of the Penal Code," he added.

The security law, which provides for detention without trial, was first enacted to combat the communist insurgency but later earned notoriety when it was invoked against dissidents and opposition politicians.