News

  • Nation
  • World Updates
  • Courts
  • Parliament
  • Columnists
  • Opinion
  • Honours List

Saturday September 13, 2008

'Order to arrest did not come from me'

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB and ANDREW SAGAYAM


'Order to arrest did not come from me'

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.

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.

“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.

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.”

“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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

This caused a furore among the non-Malays and led to Umno giving him a three-year suspension for his comments and actions.

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.

On Raja Petra, he said, the blogger had been given numerous warnings as well as been charged but he continued to create tension.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Related stories:
No more arrests: Syed Hamid

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story

News Poll