Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali today questioned why so much fuss was being made over Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah's detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.

Ibrahim said he had it worse when he was detained under the now defunct Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA).

"Maria Chin and gang have only been detained (less than) 10 days and people are making a fuss at Dataran Merdeka.

"Even former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad turned up and lit a candle. What's all this?" he said in reference to the nightly vigils for Maria.

"The detention condition is already known yet they want to complain, are they going to ask for a mattress, a sitting toilet and two kampung chicken eggs every morning?

"I don't complain. If you want to fight for something then you must be courageous enough to take it," he told a press conference at the Perkasa headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Ibrahim contrasted this to his detention under the ISA in 1974 for participating in the Baling protest.

"I was detained for 60 days followed by two years, I didn't complain. I didn't even apply for habeas corpus. The condition was terrible but no one cared.

"For 60 days I was placed in a room where I didn't even know if it was day or night. On two occasions I had to sleep on the cement floor with a stinking toilet. Only God knows.

"But now people in detention want to ask for a mattress, air conditioning, might as well ask to be detained in a five-star hotel and ask the government to pay for it," he said.

Maria was detained in solitary confinement since Nov 18. Her lawyer yesterday applied for habeas corpus and the case management is expected to be tomorrow.

A delegation from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) led by its chairperson Razali Ismail managed to meet Maria today.

Razali said Maria was sleeping on a wooden bed and only had cold water to wash.

She had requested for a mattress, a Quran and some reading materials.

Maria was arrested on the eve of the Bersih 5 protest which attracted over 40,000 people to demand for a clean government and free and elections.

She was arrested shortly after police raided Bersih's headquarters in Petaling Jaya over grants received by the movement from the Open Society Foundations, linked to US billionaire George Soros.

She is also being investigated under Section 124C of the Penal Code for activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

'Dr M ashamed of me but I still respect him'

On a separate matter Ibrahim said he still respected Mahathir and would kiss his hand even after the former prime minister had expressed shame at having the former Pasir Mas MP as a friend.

"Never mind, I don't mind. I still see Mahathir as a friend and a statesman.

"I still respect him and will kiss Tun's hand even if he were to spurn me."

Yesterday, Mahathir said he was ashamed to call Ibrahim a friend for refusing to join his newly set-up Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

Mahathir said Ibrahim's refusal was due to the new party working with DAP.

Ibrahim defended this stance at the press conference today.

"I cannot board a ship with the enemy on board," he said in reference to DAP.

Ibrahim also took a swipe at another of Mahathir's loyalist, Khairuddin Abu Hassan, for having dismissed the Perkasa leader as irrelevant.

"I want to call him a 'sotong laut' (squid). He likes to whack me.

"Who is he? Who does he represent? I'm the Perkasa president with many members. He calls me irrelevant, as if he is relevant," said Ibrahim.

Ibrahim added that he remained a staunch supporter of Mahathir but this did not mean that they would agree on everything.