reproduced below from star online our home minister's explanation why the ISA was used on the 3 persons. only a fool would accept such ludicrous explanation. the reb's comments are in between in bold. your move - which is more ludicrous? the home minister's comments or the reb's?:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/13/nation/20080913193115&sec=nation
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KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid said he did not order the arrests of the three people under the Internal Security Act (ISA.
(if he is the home minister, then what is he doing?)
He said the action was taken by the police themselves under Section 73(1) based on their assessment of the current situation as they had “strong and good reason” to believe that conflict could happen and public order could be jeopardised.
(so what are the 'strong' and 'good' reasons? if 'strong'? then say it and tell us. if 'good', for who?)
“Under this action, the police need not refer to me. It’s their discretion and their assessment of what happened. There has been no malice on their part,” he said Saturday at a press conference at Bukit Aman here.
(after all the recent incidents and bashing about the police, you think public confidence in them is high? stop dreaming!)
As Home Minister he said he was informed of the police decision but did not interfere with it.
Asked if he thought the police action was justified, Syed Hamid said: “If I start to interfere with the administration of enforcement then it’s difficult.”
(then what is the Home Minister for? Sit at 'home' maybe)
“I am a minister. I am a politician. If I start to interfere, then people will say I have a political motive. It will send the wrong signals. I cannot interfere. This has to be done in accordance with the police exercise of their powers,” he said.
(might as well pack up and go home and have one less minister post to save rakyat's money to pay a non-working non-effective minister)
Syed Hamid said the police had taken strong notice that there was concern on the ground among the public who felt not so safe as the race issue might result in open conflict and racial fights and some people were even stocking up food.
(which portion of the public? has any sectors started stocking food? was this reported in the newspapers? was there panic buying? or are all these imaginary in the head of our home minister or the police high-ups?)
“People may agree or disagree with the police position but they are in the best position to judge and I think they have done exactly that,” he said denying that the ISA arrests had nothing to do with the Sept 16 date set by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take over the government.
He said the current move was not a political move but due to a national threat.
(national threat? who are you trying to fool? who made the racist remark first? why not arrest him under ISA too? or because rais yatim says he shouldn't be detained under the ISA first but be given a chance or be charged with other Acts like sedition act? but still no charge on this guy is made even after police received police reports made by many political parties)
On Friday, the police arrested Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Seputeh MP and Kinrara assemblyman Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng under the ISA.
Tan was released Saturday afternoon.
Syed Hamid said the police had detained Tan because they had received information that her life was being threatened and there might be possible injury to her and the police wanted to get to the bottom of it.
(are you saying that police will detain people because they are suspected to be threatened? so, offer instead police round-the-clock protection, not detain that person under ISA to protect him/her! or, arrest the guy who threatened the reporter in public! that is also reported in the media and even a video tape is available and a police report made. again, why take so long to investigate? there is recorded proof. what illogical logic to arrest people in order to protct them! better to arrest the real culprits to protect the public from them)
Tan was the reporter who first reported on Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s allegedly racist comments during the Permatang Pauh by-election in which he said the Chinese were “squatters” in the country.
(syabas to her and her courage! if not for her, the nation would not know of such incidents. she should be rewarded for fair-minded journalism by NUJ)
This caused a furore among the non-Malays and led to Umno giving him a three-year suspension for his comments and actions.
(who caused the furore in the first place? the one who made the racist remark or the one who reported it?)
Syed Hamid said the police thought it was best to get first-hand information from Tan and thus took her in under the ISA and released her a day later after they got the necessary information and found no reason to hold her.
“I don’t think we are being unfair or that we mistreated her in any way. We acted professionally and after a day released her,” he said, when asked if Tan had posed a security threat in any way.
Asked why the police did not just ask Tan to come in for questioning instead of arresting her, Syed Hamid said it was always difficult when it came to the police when dealing with reporters.
“All of us are subject to the law. When the police feel it is best to bring the person in under ISA, they do so. I think the most important thing is not to exercise unfairness. When they got what they wanted and found they had no reason to hold her and that she’s not a security threat and not disturbing public order, they released her immediately,” he said.
(so, why don't the police go and ask her in her home or place of work to provide further information? or ask her to go to the nearest police station to give her information? do you think she will not go if they ask her nicely? why the need to send a team to 'arrest' her under ISA just to ask her for info? or is this the way we do things in malaysia? sent a swat team in balacalva to arrest anwar just because they 'think' he is not going to report to the police station?)
On Raja Petra, he said, the blogger had been given numerous warnings as well as been charged but he continued to create tension.
(so, charge him in the Islamic court if he has insulted Islam. if he has 'created tension' in the country, charge him in the civil courts. why use the oppresive ISA which allows for detentiopn without trial for 60 days and up to 2 years in jail wihout trial and the possibility of further extension of detention to limitless years?)
As for Kok, he said, she had supposedly questioned the sensitive issues such as the azan (call for prayers for Muslims) to be stopped and that could cause ill will and disharmony.
“Based on police work, they have found there has been real fear on the ground because people are worried of what can possibly happen,” he said.
(already the puchong mosque commmittee said she is not involved in the residents' petition. the organizer of the petition also denied her involvement. so, who passed the rumour around? why not also send utusan malaysia a warning letter for reporting that rumour? accord them the same treatment given to sin chew daily. why not haul khir toyo up under ISA for making that rumour as he is stroking religious tensions? toyo can still be hauled up under ISA because the police wants to ask him for more information. same fair equal treatment to all races)
On why Ahmad was not detained for making racist comments, he explained that Umno had already punished him by suspending him for three years and stripping him from the party post while the police was also still investigating a sedition report against him.
(so, if a poltical party passes an internal form of punishment on the perpetrator of the remark, is that deemed sufficient not to warrant a higher level of punishment? newspapers reported yesterday the investigation is already completed, now you say it is still on-going. either you really do not know your job or you just makan gaji- buta)
When asked why action was not taken against other politicians like Datuk Seri Khir Toyo for racist remarks made, he said people should stop looking at things from an ethnic angle and start thinking as Malaysians.
(hey, hey, why change the tune here? how can there be 2 forms of treatment? if everyone think like good malaysians, nothing like these will need to happen in the first place)
To a question, Syed Hamid said he did not believe the Government would call a state of emergency because the country was well under control and “we have taken all sorts of preventive measures.”
(sure, with ISA being used, the country is seemingly 'under control'. maybe not this time. the rakyat will surely speak out this time. enough is enough! maybe this time the government will learn the hard lesson. it is time for the government to go. it hasn't learn from the march 8th elections. it is too recalcitrant. there has to be a harsher lesson. it is time to go.)
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/13/nation/20080913193115&sec=nation
---------------------------------------------------------------------
KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid said he did not order the arrests of the three people under the Internal Security Act (ISA.
(if he is the home minister, then what is he doing?)
He said the action was taken by the police themselves under Section 73(1) based on their assessment of the current situation as they had “strong and good reason” to believe that conflict could happen and public order could be jeopardised.
(so what are the 'strong' and 'good' reasons? if 'strong'? then say it and tell us. if 'good', for who?)
“Under this action, the police need not refer to me. It’s their discretion and their assessment of what happened. There has been no malice on their part,” he said Saturday at a press conference at Bukit Aman here.
(after all the recent incidents and bashing about the police, you think public confidence in them is high? stop dreaming!)
As Home Minister he said he was informed of the police decision but did not interfere with it.
Asked if he thought the police action was justified, Syed Hamid said: “If I start to interfere with the administration of enforcement then it’s difficult.”
(then what is the Home Minister for? Sit at 'home' maybe)
“I am a minister. I am a politician. If I start to interfere, then people will say I have a political motive. It will send the wrong signals. I cannot interfere. This has to be done in accordance with the police exercise of their powers,” he said.
(might as well pack up and go home and have one less minister post to save rakyat's money to pay a non-working non-effective minister)
Syed Hamid said the police had taken strong notice that there was concern on the ground among the public who felt not so safe as the race issue might result in open conflict and racial fights and some people were even stocking up food.
(which portion of the public? has any sectors started stocking food? was this reported in the newspapers? was there panic buying? or are all these imaginary in the head of our home minister or the police high-ups?)
“People may agree or disagree with the police position but they are in the best position to judge and I think they have done exactly that,” he said denying that the ISA arrests had nothing to do with the Sept 16 date set by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take over the government.
He said the current move was not a political move but due to a national threat.
(national threat? who are you trying to fool? who made the racist remark first? why not arrest him under ISA too? or because rais yatim says he shouldn't be detained under the ISA first but be given a chance or be charged with other Acts like sedition act? but still no charge on this guy is made even after police received police reports made by many political parties)
On Friday, the police arrested Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Seputeh MP and Kinrara assemblyman Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng under the ISA.
Tan was released Saturday afternoon.
Syed Hamid said the police had detained Tan because they had received information that her life was being threatened and there might be possible injury to her and the police wanted to get to the bottom of it.
(are you saying that police will detain people because they are suspected to be threatened? so, offer instead police round-the-clock protection, not detain that person under ISA to protect him/her! or, arrest the guy who threatened the reporter in public! that is also reported in the media and even a video tape is available and a police report made. again, why take so long to investigate? there is recorded proof. what illogical logic to arrest people in order to protct them! better to arrest the real culprits to protect the public from them)
Tan was the reporter who first reported on Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s allegedly racist comments during the Permatang Pauh by-election in which he said the Chinese were “squatters” in the country.
(syabas to her and her courage! if not for her, the nation would not know of such incidents. she should be rewarded for fair-minded journalism by NUJ)
This caused a furore among the non-Malays and led to Umno giving him a three-year suspension for his comments and actions.
(who caused the furore in the first place? the one who made the racist remark or the one who reported it?)
Syed Hamid said the police thought it was best to get first-hand information from Tan and thus took her in under the ISA and released her a day later after they got the necessary information and found no reason to hold her.
“I don’t think we are being unfair or that we mistreated her in any way. We acted professionally and after a day released her,” he said, when asked if Tan had posed a security threat in any way.
Asked why the police did not just ask Tan to come in for questioning instead of arresting her, Syed Hamid said it was always difficult when it came to the police when dealing with reporters.
“All of us are subject to the law. When the police feel it is best to bring the person in under ISA, they do so. I think the most important thing is not to exercise unfairness. When they got what they wanted and found they had no reason to hold her and that she’s not a security threat and not disturbing public order, they released her immediately,” he said.
(so, why don't the police go and ask her in her home or place of work to provide further information? or ask her to go to the nearest police station to give her information? do you think she will not go if they ask her nicely? why the need to send a team to 'arrest' her under ISA just to ask her for info? or is this the way we do things in malaysia? sent a swat team in balacalva to arrest anwar just because they 'think' he is not going to report to the police station?)
On Raja Petra, he said, the blogger had been given numerous warnings as well as been charged but he continued to create tension.
(so, charge him in the Islamic court if he has insulted Islam. if he has 'created tension' in the country, charge him in the civil courts. why use the oppresive ISA which allows for detentiopn without trial for 60 days and up to 2 years in jail wihout trial and the possibility of further extension of detention to limitless years?)
As for Kok, he said, she had supposedly questioned the sensitive issues such as the azan (call for prayers for Muslims) to be stopped and that could cause ill will and disharmony.
“Based on police work, they have found there has been real fear on the ground because people are worried of what can possibly happen,” he said.
(already the puchong mosque commmittee said she is not involved in the residents' petition. the organizer of the petition also denied her involvement. so, who passed the rumour around? why not also send utusan malaysia a warning letter for reporting that rumour? accord them the same treatment given to sin chew daily. why not haul khir toyo up under ISA for making that rumour as he is stroking religious tensions? toyo can still be hauled up under ISA because the police wants to ask him for more information. same fair equal treatment to all races)
On why Ahmad was not detained for making racist comments, he explained that Umno had already punished him by suspending him for three years and stripping him from the party post while the police was also still investigating a sedition report against him.
(so, if a poltical party passes an internal form of punishment on the perpetrator of the remark, is that deemed sufficient not to warrant a higher level of punishment? newspapers reported yesterday the investigation is already completed, now you say it is still on-going. either you really do not know your job or you just makan gaji- buta)
When asked why action was not taken against other politicians like Datuk Seri Khir Toyo for racist remarks made, he said people should stop looking at things from an ethnic angle and start thinking as Malaysians.
(hey, hey, why change the tune here? how can there be 2 forms of treatment? if everyone think like good malaysians, nothing like these will need to happen in the first place)
To a question, Syed Hamid said he did not believe the Government would call a state of emergency because the country was well under control and “we have taken all sorts of preventive measures.”
(sure, with ISA being used, the country is seemingly 'under control'. maybe not this time. the rakyat will surely speak out this time. enough is enough! maybe this time the government will learn the hard lesson. it is time for the government to go. it hasn't learn from the march 8th elections. it is too recalcitrant. there has to be a harsher lesson. it is time to go.)
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