Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has dismissed accusations that Malaysia is a police state, challenging critics to check his record of Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) detentions against that of his predecessors.

Without naming names, Najib said his administration is not a police state at work, but that of rule of law.

“I repealed the ISA. I have been criticised for repealing ISA. Unfortunately there are people who say that Malaysia is a police state now.

“Check my record. How many people have I arrested under ISA? How many people have been arrested by previous leaderships under ISA?

“Why are they saying that today (Malaysia) is a police state? This is not a police state; this is what we call the rule of law in Malaysia,” he said at the opening of the Gerakan national delegates’ conference in Shah Alam today.

While Najib abolished the draconian ISA, he notably U-turned on his pre-election promise to abolish the equally dreaded Sedition Act.

As of last March, Political Studies for Change (KPRU) counted at least 120 had been either detained for investigation, remanded or charged under the Act or other similarly oppressive laws.

The latest victim is activist Khalid Mohd Ismath, 25, who was last week slapped with 14 charges in relation to a posting regarding the Johor royalty.

As for ISA itself, the law has been replaced by the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), which notably does not have provisions that allow the home minister to issue detention orders that indefinitely renewable.

Nevertheless, the recent use of Sosma against Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang has led to criticism that the new law is being abused as well, in ways reminiscent of the ISA.

Prior to his arrest, Khairuddin had been urging authorities around the world to investigate 1MDB.

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