YOURSAY 'Mahathir should have further added: ‘The ISA is my secret formula for my long stay of 22 years in power as PM.''

Dr Mahathir insists ISA a 'good law'

Ferdtan: The apparent 'afterthoughts' of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement are as such - "ISA is not a bad law, but a good one which could curb potential threats".

It was good enough to curb the potential threats from the likes of Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Mat Sabu and their opposition friends. All were locked up and thus saved the day for Mahathir.

He added: "We had the ISA because certain things had upset the stability of the country". Indeed, Umno's stability was saved and so was the wealth of Umno's cronies and families.

Mahathir should have further added: "The ISA is my secret formula for my long stay of 22 years in power as PM."

Lim Chong Leong: There are no bad laws, only bad enforcers. Look at the preamble of the ISA and see how many detainees qualify to be detained within that scope.

But they cannot challenge their detention order because they had to go through the Umno kangaroo courts to do so.

James1067: Sure the ISA was a good law because you and your wife Siti Hasmah could sleep easy while there were children and families kept apart from their loved ones just because they subscribed to different political beliefs. Now it's under the guise of a new law.

Humans who themselves are imperfect are judging others, deciding what is right for them.

The law should only be used on people who intend to destroy the country like terrorists. Instead it has been abused by people in power to protect their self-interest.

Dr M, be honest at least with yourself if you have any heart for your fellow human beings.

Armageddon: Every law is a good law if not abused. The ISA was meant to curb communism but unfortunately, it has been used by Umno to curb the opposition.

And that's why it's a bad law. But the law replacing ISA is even worse.

Swipenter: In principle, ISA is a "good law" but Dr M abused it to his advantage to quell dissent within Umno-BN and the opposition.

It was meant to prevent and fight terrorism and extremism. Now it was even used to detain reporters for reporting the truth. Can that be a "good law?"

Just like the NEP (New Economic Policy) which aims to eradicate poverty and identity of trade and profession by race, instead it was used to enrich a few and as a tool of discrimination against the non-Malays.

The NEP and judiciary are bastardised so badly that now there are obstacles to national unity and development for a fair, just and equitable society for our country.

ACR: The original Internal Security Act (1960) allowed for judicial review of detention under the law.

The 'Great' Mahathir Mohamad, during his tenure as PM in 1989, amended and removed the judicial review provision save for technical/procedural matters thus making the home minister's decision final.

All these were part of his efforts to emasculate the judiciary. The right to judicial review was removed in numerous other instances as well.

The preamble to the ISA 1960 states that it is an Act to provide for the internal security of Malaysia, to prevent subversion and organised violence - if the successive Umno PMs, most notably Mahathir, had not abused and misused the ISA all these years, there would be no need for this current eyewash of an exercise to introduce a new security bill.

Ramachandran Muniandy: If Mahathir was put under the ISA, only then he will know whether it is good or bad.

He was on the run when former premier Tengku Abdul Rahman wanted him put under ISA at the time of the race riots of May 13, 1969.

He was helped by Tengku Abdullah of the Negri Sembilan royalty to take a train from Rawang to Alor Setar to avoid arrest. If the ISA was so good, why he did he ran away?

Fair&Just: From all his nonsensical remarks it seems that Mahathir has a lot of skeletons to hide and like any tyrant, needs draconian laws like the ISA to cover up his and his cronies' abuses.

A clean and ‘people first' government with some semblance of integrity will not need such oppressive and demeaning laws to help it govern unless they do not genuinely love their country or have ulterior motives.

Malek Sidek: This ex-PM is notorious in the use of excessive force on his own people to protect himself and his cronies.

That is why Malaysians have been very angry with him until today. BN lost very badly in the last elections due to his stupidity in the past 22 years.

Gerard Lourdesamy: Pakatan Rakyat should maintain the ISA just in order to have Mahathir detained for two years to teach him a lesson about freedom. This tyrant deserves it.

He was more than happy to use it to stifle and mute dissent and to preserve his hold on power when Umno was divided. He also used it to play the nationalist card when Malay dominance was perceived to be under threat from the Chinese.

Yet this was the same hypocrite who in the course of the debate on the ISA in 1960 decried the law as "draconian" and an "anathema" to democracy. "A law that no right-minded person would support" but he still voted in favour of the bill.

Any law that concentrates power in the executive is always a good law as far as Mahathir is concerned.

Anonymous #18452573: The oppressor will always feel the need for oppressive laws. The authoritarian, for authoritarian laws. The dictator, for dictatorial laws.

But a democratic leader will always feel the need for democratic laws. It's as plain and simple as that.

 

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