Those caught forging MyKad will continue to be charged and detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and not brought before an open court because the information gathered is considered "highly classified," Internal Security Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Parliament today.

"The matter that needs to be considered is the information gathered from the arrest which is important to curb the network of such syndicates in future," he said in his written reply to Shim Paw Fatt (BN-Tawau).

Abdullah who is also prime minister added that MyKad forgers are detained under the ISA because they are considered "a security threat" to the nation.

Shim has asked why the government is detaining those who forged MyKad under the ISA, which provides for detention without trail, and not brought to court so that their modus operandi could be revealed.

According to Abdullah, initial investigations showed that the syndicates worked via a wide network.

"By not bringing them to court, we hope they will be rehabilitated and not revert to commit the same crime once they are freed," he said.

Media policies

Meanwhile, Information Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir told Parliament that his ministry would not obstruct or prevent any form of news from reaching the public provided it is disseminated by a responsible media.

"For example, even opposition politicians have been invited to appear in the Debat Perdana programme aired on RTM1 to discuss national issues which carry no political gains. What is emphasised is that these issue discussed attract attention from everyone, regardless whether they are pro-government or otherwise," he said.

However this approach does not mean that the government will not change its current media policy, the minister told Mohd Zaid Ibrahim (BN-Kota Bharu) who wanted to know whether the government is ready to change its media policy by being more open and to broadcast critical views about government policies.

"The media trend now reflects the presence of watch-dogs who will no hesitate to report on cases of abuse of power or any defects from government agencies," said Abdul Kadir.

Expressing concern on irresponsible reporting and inaccurate news by the media, he said his ministry felt that the existing media policy should be reviewed so that transparency and integrity will be created in the government as well as the media.