PAS firm against resurrecting ISA, EO

PAS has again reiterated its opposition against the resurrection of the Internal Security Act and Emergency Ordinance, saying the draconian laws were not solution to the recent spike in crime that has shocked Malaysians.

It was responding to UMNO vice president Shafie Apdal who welcomed calls to reintroduce ISA.

PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man questioned whether Shafie had the numbers to justify the argument that abolition of ISA and EO had encouraged criminals.

“How many ISA detainees before this had been detained for possession of firearms?” he asked.

ISA and EO, said Tuan Ibrahim, were oppressive and easily abused, saying the laws went against Islam.

Earlier, former police chief Abdul Rahim Noor suggested the government to bring back EO, supported by none other than Home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, arguing that former detainees of EO who had been released since the law's abolition were behind the spate of violent crimes.

“If it is true that former EO detainees are behind the serious crimes recently, the police can detain them under the Firearms Act 1960 for possessing firearms without license and committing murder using firearms,” Tuan Ibrahim said, adding that prevailing laws could send those guilty of such crimes to life imprisonment and death sentence.

PAS also reminded that ISA had been used to detain political leaders in the past.

He urged the police to focus on covering weaknesses in firearms control.

“PAS is more inclined to believe the armed criminals obtained their weapons illegally due to weaknesses at the country’s entry points,” he said and called on all agencies to cooperate to curb smuggling of weapons. -HD