ISA for good

ISA can be for the benefit of opposition politicians and anti-establishment bloggers?

ISA or Internal Security Act, has been much publicised because of the recent detention of blogger king, Raja Petra. Among the three detained recently, one of the two released, Teresa Kok complained about the 6x8 ft. cell and food fit for the dogs. The other, Tan Hoon Cheng, was arrested apparently for her own safety. Raja Petra managed to read many books while under solitary confinement.

According to a report, 'A Singaporean's insight to the Kamunting detention camp':

"In May 2004, I was among a group of some 30 journalists allowed into the dreaded Kamunting detention camp in remote Perak. Kamunting is a high-security prison where Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees - who can be imprisoned without trial - are often held.

That 2004 visit was the first, and only time since, that journalists were allowed into the camp to see its living conditions. It was part of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's liberalisation policy - he had just won big-time in the March 2004 (yes, March 2004, not 2008) general elections and the government was full of confidence and promise. It had won 90 per cent of seats in Parliament - a record.

The visit was hosted by then-Deputy Home Minister Noh Omar who wanted to show journalists that the government had nothing to hide, despite the noise made then by the opposition, rights groups and families of the detainees that horrible things are happening inside.

I shivered as I looked around this Malaysian Alcatraz, with its trimmed lawns. This was a place where Clint Eastwood could escape from. The 114ha camp (about 140 football fields) had double security checks before anyone is allowed in or out. And if one could cut through one set of fence, there is another layer of fence to deal with.

Even if one could find wire cutters, and then be given the time to cut through the fences, there were all the dogs, lights and guards on watch towers to stop any escape attempt. Beyond the fences were just wide stretches of open fields. I don't remember anyone ever escaping from the prison.

The place reminded me of the song Hotel California - you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave. Unless the government wants you to."

According to another report, the Perak government wants to get rid of the Kamunting detention centre from the state.

State executive councillor A. Sivanesan said he would look into the legal avenues and land legislation to see how the Pakatan Rakyat-led state could reclaim the land alienated to the Federal Government to build the camp.

The state would look into the Land Acquisition Act to see how it could order the Barisan Nasional Government to move the camp out.

Sivanesan suggested the detention centre be relocated to Barisan Nasional strongholds such as Pahang or Johor.

“Pakatan is against the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the camp is in Kamunting, Taiping, Perak.
“If they (Barisan) are not going to abolish the ISA, then move out the camp and give us back the land,” he said Sunday after meeting orang asli (aborigines) at Kampung Chang Sungai Gepai, about 70km from Ipoh.
However, Sivanesan said he had yet to bring up the idea at the weekly state executive council meeting.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar has scoffed at a suggestion that the Federal Government relocate the Kamunting detention centre in Perak to “Barisan Nasional states”.

“There are certain things that belong to the Federal Government and the state cannot simply take it away,” he told The Star.

Syed Hamid said the issue was not worth discussing. “When the time comes, we’ll respond accordingly. If they have a plan, they must act according to the law. “Everything you do is subject to the law. I don’t think they can just close property under federal jurisdiction,” he said.

To summarise, we have a government bent on keeping the dreaded ISA and most people believe it was being used to counter opposition politicians and unrelenting critics of government leaders. We have detainees complaining of dreadful conditions like sleeping on cement floor and eating unhygienic food. We have a state leaders wanting to kick out the Kamunting Detention Centre from the Perak.

As a compromise, I suggest the centre be moved to Putrajaya for various reasons. Putrajaya is in federal territory, so there will be no problem with opposition state government. It is spacious and well landscaped so a well designed detention centre with comfortable beds, good food and plenty of reading materials will guarantee no complaints from detainees. People will be anxious to get in, instead of protesting when arrested. Personal safety is guaranteed by the Home Minister, so there is no need for bodyguards.

The best part is that the present government gets to continue governing, while most of their oppositionists are kept under ISA and not complaining, under the watchful eyes of the PM and DPM.