Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Sedition Act and ISA Where Are You?

I think I get confused again... this time is not about "miseducation", but I can't find neither ISA nor Sedition Act when we are in need. Where are they hided? Can somebody please tell me?

Both of them are among the oldest law in the country. ISA or Internal Security Act was actually introduced in 1948 by the British as a preventive detention against Malayan Communist Party. 12 years after that in 1960, the Malayan government passed the act under Malaysian Constitution to allow detention without charge or trial whoever that allegedly prejudices or threaten the security of the country and the detention is at the discretion of Home Minister.

Whereas Sedition Act was also introduced by the British in 1948. Under this act, anyone who does or attempt to do an act with seditious tendency, such as uttering seditious words, or printing, publishing or importing seditious literature will be found guilty under the act.

AH! I don't care what is the definition of these acts as I am not a lawyer. In fact, it's too technical for me to understand the acts in detail. But what I am sure and I had being taught is that these 2 acts are mainly to detain and take action against those individual who did something which can threaten the country's security, or caused tension among the various races in the country which will lead to riots and unpeaceful to the country.

Recently... we heard so much about this Ahmad Ismail as he's the one who pointed the Chinese in Malaysia are only the squatters of this Malay land. Although he refused to admit he said so, instead accused a Sin Chew Jit Poh reporter for misquoted his speech, but I am confused... yes confused again... if it's like what he claimed, why his boss and deputy boss asked him to apologize to all the Malaysian for this matter? Bear in mind that both of his bosses were at the scene while he made such remark! So, is he trying to mean that his bosses didn't pay attention when he was doing the speech? If not, why he was asked to apologize by both of his bosses on something that he didn't do?

Okla.. we just assume... assume only ok? we assume the reporter really misquoted his speech. Maybe at that time the environment was too crowded and noisy, so the reporter misquoted him and also both his bosses mis-listening (I discovered that I like to use the word "mis" ;p )... again.. this is just an assumption ok? But let see some of his remarks in the previous press conferences.
  • warned Chinese Malaysians not to mimic American Jews who not only seek to control the country's economy but also its political power
  • for the sake of my Malay dignity, I resolve not to apologise no matter what others may say
  • Remember! The patience of Malays and Muslims has its limits. Do not push us to the wall, where we will be forced to reject the Chinese for the sake of our survival
Ok now, can someone tell me if the statements above seditious?? Will these kind of statements cause tension among the various races and religious in the country? Can these remarks destroy the harmony of the country that we tried so hard to maintain all these years?

The answers to the above question are too obvious!! Just a simple YES!! This is just common sense! We don't even need a lawyer to tell us the above statements are seditious, can cause tense to the religious and races relationship among Malaysian then may destroy the peacefulness and harmony of the country!

So what act the government normally used to stop these kind of extremists who may threaten the country's security? Of course ISA or Sedition Act!! If not? What are these acts especially ISA for? They were even older than Malaysia!

Therefore, there must be some reasons of their long existence. If not to maintain country's peacefulness and stability, don't tell me it's to detain those are against government's wills? I was not educated in that way...

Honestly, I am not a big fan of ISA neither Sedition Act but since before this government had used them to "take care" of those who being accused for threatening country's security, so I hope this Ahmad case is not an exceptional.

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