Aaahh ... blunders?

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar in The Star "Reporter's Life Was Threatened" on Sept 14 2008.

.........However, the minister vehemently denied that he had anything to do with the arrests and detention of Tan and two others — Malaysia Today news portal editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Selangor senior executive councillor Teresa Kok — under the ISA on Friday........

......He said the action was taken by the police themselves 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.

“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 told a press conference at Bukit Aman.
He said he was informed of the police decision on Friday to detain Tan, Raja Petra and Kok 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,” he said. .......

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar in Utusan Malaysia "Syed Hamid jawab Zaid" on Sept 15 2008.

Penahanan tiga orang di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) kelmarin adalah keputusan kerajaan dan ia tidak sepatutnya dipersoalkan oleh mana-mana menteri termasuk Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Menteri Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar memberi peringatan itu sebagai reaksinya kepada kenyataan Zaid di Kota Bharu hari ini bahawa kerajaan tidak sewajarnya menggunakan ISA untuk menahan mereka sebaliknya perlu diadili mengikut sistem perundangan negara. ............

..........Menurut beliau, tindakannya meluluskan penahanan di bawah ISA itu adalah bagi pihak kerajaan yang memerintah, selaras dengan kedudukannya sebagai menteri Kabinet, bukannya ‘orang di luar kerajaan’.................


Hmmm. Datuk Seri Syed Hamid is making conflicting statements. Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin did not go well with the local and international press. He was criticized for his blunders with Al Jazeera during BERSIH's demonstration and his relationship with the local newspapers.

Now, we have Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar making statements that confuses the Malaysian people. I hope YAB tells us the truth behind the ISA arrests. Was it Bukit Aman or was it Kerajaan DiRaja Malaysia who ordered the arrests?

The trio were arrested under Section 73 (1) of the ISA. Shouldn't it have been Section 8?

Section 73(1) Internal Security Act 1960: "Any police officer may without warrant arrest and detain pending enquiries any person in respect of whom he has reason to believe that there are grounds which would justify his detention under section 8; and that he has acted or is about to act or is likely to act in any manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia or any part thereof or to maintenance of essential services therein or to the economic life thereof."

Section 8 : Power to order detention or restriction of persons. "(i) If the Minister is satisfied that the detention of any person is necessary with a view to preventing him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia or any part thereof or to the maintenance of essential services therein or the economic life thereof, he may make an order (hereinafter referred to as a detention order) directing that that person be detained for any period not exceeding two years."


Whether it was Bukit Aman or Putrajaya, it is not important. What is important is the case of the two remaining ISA detainees, YB Teresa Kok and RPK.

If they have broken any laws, then charge them in Court.


A PIECE OF MY MIND