The Anti-ISA Movement (GMI) has condemned the threats made by the government and Umno to use the security law against bloggers.

The Internal Security Act or ISA allows for detention without trial.

"GMI believes these threats are none other than abuse of powers, as illustrated in the past, against dissidents who have exposed corrupt practices within the government," said its chairperson Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh in a statement today.

On July 25, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz warned that the government will not hesitate to use the ISA against bloggers.

On the same day, Umno Youth public complainants bureau chief Subahan Kamal said people who write sensitive issues insulting the King and Islam should be severely punished under the ISA.

The calls were made following a police report filed against political weblog Malaysia Today and its webmaster Raja Petra Kamarudin by Umno information chief Muhammad Muhamad Taib.

Raja Petra was accused of insulting the King and Islam, a charge which he has denied.

Prior to this, PKR webmaster and blogger Nathaniel Tan was detained for four days on the allegation that several postings on his blog contravened the Official Secrets Act.

Certain quarters have claimed that the government's actions are aimed at clamping down on blogs highlighting allegations of corruption among top officials.

Something to hide?

Syed Ibrahim said the government should investigate the corruption allegations instead of going after the whistleblowers.

"Secondly, shouldn't the government investigate the authors of the alleged law breaching postings in the blogs of Tan and Raja Petra instead of harassing the blog owners?

"Is the government afraid that these postings may well turn out to be coming from the cyber troopers of Umno as alleged by Raja Petra?" he asked.

Furthermore, Syed Ibrahim said there are ample laws in the country for the government to prosecute the authors of the postings and prove the charges in a court of law.

"Why is the government avoiding the court process? Does the government know too well that they don't even stand a chance if the matter is brought to court?" he asked further.

The GMI chairperson said the government owes the general public answers to the above questions.

By invoking the ISA, he added, the government was not only taking an easy way out, but it also proved that the government has something to hide.

"The fight against corruption in this country cannot be successful as long as the ISA continues to exist to be invoked to silent whistleblowers and cover-up mismanagement and abuse of power," he said.

Syed Ibrahim added that if Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government was sincere in fighting corruption, he should then abolish the ISA.