Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's threat to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) against demonstrators goes against his earlier pledges, said Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang today.

Speaking at a press conference at the Parliament lobby, he said the threat marked a 'new nadir' for Abdullah's four years of broken pledges on democracy, human rights, accountability, incorruptibility and preparedness to hear the truth from the people.

"Many have asked whether mass ISA arrests like the infamous Operasi Lalang in 1988, which led to major assaults on the independence and integrity of the judiciary and the emasculation of press freedom, is possible under Abdullah's premiership.

"With his threat to use the ISA yesterday, such a scenario now appears more and more likely," he said, adding that Abdullah must make a stand on his premiership pledges.

Lim said Malaysia has no hope of becoming a nation with a 'first world mentality' when the government is guilty of having 'third world' and even 'fourth world' mindsets.

"Abdullah wants the country to have 'first world infrastructure, first world mentality' and not 'first world infrastructure, third world mentality'.

"It is time for the government to set the example of such 'first world mentality' and mindset by accepting the important role of peaceful demonstrations like first world countries like Japan, Britain, Australia and US."

Nazri must apologise

In a separate development, Lim said he was "shocked and saddened" that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz described those who participated in Sunday's mass rally as ' penyangak ' or crooks.

"I'm shocked with Nazri's language, condemning the decent and respectable people who came from all over the country to peacefully and collectively express their cry of desperation," noted the opposition leader.

Lim said he met many of those who were detained at the Batu Caves temple on Sunday, and found them to be mostly law-abiding Malaysian citizens, business people, contractors, executives and management officers.

"These are people who cannot be further from the term ' penyangak ' used by Nazri yesterday," he said.

He also asked if MIC president S Samy Vellu and the party's members agree with Nazri that those gathered on Sunday were crooks and rouges and that the Hindraf rally was a "gathering of crooks."

"Nazri should apologise unconditionally for this insult, not only to those who gathered on Sunday, but also the entire Indian community and Malaysian nation," he said.

"Samy (Vellu) and the entire MIC team in the administration should insist that Nazri withdraw the term and apologise for it without any qualification whatsoever," he added.

No apologies

However later at a press conference, Nazri refused to apologise to the demonstrators for describing as penyangak .

"Those 20,000 people who participated in the rally are penyangak. They went against the law so they are penyangak ," he said.

"I am not going to apologise to Hindraf. Don't become gangsters," he said, adding that those who participated in the rally would be charged under relevant laws.

Sunday's rally, which saw some 30,000 Indian Malaysians taking to the streets, was organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).