By Melissa Chi | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — For Lim Kit Siang, a veteran politician popularly known for his no-holds-barred rhetoric, the one most painful experience from his detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) was having his freedom capped.
The DAP adviser’s only freedom had come in tiny doses and during those difficult days and his only comfort came from being allowed to wear his own clothes and to take short jogs around the secured compound to keep himself active.
When relating his story recently, Lim told The Malaysian Insider that it was really during his 35-month confinement under the ISA that he truly started to value his freedom.
“Freedom is the most precious thing, it is not tangible, something only when you lose, you’ll cherish it,” said Lim, who was detained on two separate occasions in 1969 and 1987.
He noted that it was the provision in the law that allowed for detention without trial that truly hampered a person’s freedom.
“It could really put a strain on a person’s belief and conviction. It is also extremely tough on the families. I would say that for most detainees, their families would go through great trauma,” the Ipoh Timur MP said.
Lim explained that the families had to adjust to the fact that they can only see the detainee once a week for such a short amount of time.
“For some, it is even harder for they would have to travel quite a distance just to spend a half hour with their loved one,” he said.
During his first detention in 1969, Lim’s family was living in Batu Pahat, Johor, which is about 32 miles from the Muar Detention Centre.
“Also, we are often kept in the dark. Most of the detained would not be informed of their release date and would only look forward to the 24th month of their detention to know if they would be released of have their terms extended,” he said.
He noted that in both cases of his detention, he was only informed of his release on the very day itself.
“Of course, I did not believe it (at first). I was a shocking, but pleasant experience,” the veteran politician said.
In 1969, Lim was detained under the ISA for 17 months for making “insensitive statements” and creating “disharmony to the state”.
He was sent to the Muar Detention Centre, which does not exist anymore.
Ten years later, he was convicted of five charges under Official Secrets Act (OSA) for exposing an inappropriate arms deal between the government and a Swiss company. He was again a victim of the ISA during the infamous Operasi Lalang in 1987 for “inciting racism” and was held without trial for 18 months at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak.
His two-time detention did nothing to dampen Lim’s fighting spirit however and instead, the 69-year-old said it had made him more resilient to fighting for a “better Malaysia”.
He said that his experiences had not wavered in his conviction, but rather reaffirmed his stance toward abolishing the preventive laws.
“In my case, I felt more renewed and committed [to fight for a] better Malaysia and not to allow all these undemocratic and repressive measure,” he said.
“It is pernicious, undemocratic and also opens to all sorts of abuses and should be abolished,” Lim said of the Act.
Lim’s sentiments were echoed by local as well as international human rights groups and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).
He said there are talks about the amendments and the promise to table it at the Parliament but he said it had yet to happen.
The government had announced its plans to table amendments to six preventive laws including the ISA 1960, Emergency Ordinance (EO) Act 1969 and the Police Act 1967 this year, and has promised that the tweaks would better protect human rights and prevent abuse of power.
The proposed amendments have been approved by the Attorney-General’s Chambers for presentation to the Cabinet soon.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop had said that the amendments to the laws would involve five primary aspects including ministerial powers, the shortening of detention periods, police powers, rights and treatment of detainees and the abolition of several sections in the ISA.
Abu Seman, however, confirmed that these laws would only be amended and not abolished.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had said that the changes to the ISA would include the right to hold peaceful assemblies.
The most recent incident in relation to that was on August 1, 2009 when 589 people were arrested on the day of the rally, including 44 children and 40 women. Out of the total, 498 people were released on the same day and 91 were held at the Bukit Jalil Police Station, according to Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram)’s memorandum to Suhakam.
On April 3, 2009, the day Datuk Seri Najib Razak took office as Prime Minister, he announced the removal of bans on two opposition newspapers, Suara Keadilan and Harakah, run by PKR and PAS respectively, and the release of 13 people held under the ISA.
He pledged to conduct a comprehensive review of the much-criticized law which allows for indefinite detention without trial. These promises had garnered support locally and abroad, and earned him goodwill.
Lim, however, reiterated that the ISA should be abolished. He pointed out that since the government had been holding on to the excuse of terrorism, there should be a specific terrorism act, and do away with such an “open-ended” act such as ISA.
“It had stunted the democratic growth… creating a culture of fear,” he said of the ISA, since its inception 50 years ago.
Lim said a greater public pressure from all sectors of society would add pressure to the government to abolish the act.
“Those in power at present should take seriously of such charges,” he said.