YOURSAY | Don't jump on populist bandwagon over Sosma

YOURSAY | 'Allow holistic discourse, give national security a chance.'

COMMENT | Is dissenting against Sosma, whining?

Commenting Has Been Disabled for This Story: Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, you were too quick to say “No” to the review of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) but here is a reply which you should have said instead:

“We will consider all factors and it is something we will look into in due course as there are many things to address. We understand people feel Sosma is an issue and I want to assure the people that we will give due consideration to this.

“There are complexities, and we are also seeking advice from various stakeholders including legal experts. We are considering all angles and will consider the people’s sentiments. Please give us time, thank you.”

Wasn’t that easy? I think your advisors are sleeping. I am in the small minority who believes there is some value in Sosma although I do agree that it is draconian.

Draconian laws are also commonly found in many developed nations including the US, UK, and Singapore.

I believe in the saying, talk softly but carry a big stick. In school, I had a discipline teacher who went everywhere with a big rotan. I never saw him use it. But knowing that he could use it made us toe the line.

Terrorists, hate-mongers, and bigots are more sophisticated than ever, especially when enabled by the Internet. Some may think playing fair and respecting their human rights is important, and we should only detain them if we have clear and sufficient evidence, but I respectfully disagree.

Yes, previous governments have abused Sosma and that is wrong, and I do not condone the abuse of laws. In my view, if the law is abused, then it’s the government (the abuser) that needs to be kicked out rather than blaming the law.

If this government abuses the law, I will be among those criticising the government. But they have not. So, for now, I am adopting observation before judgment.

In my view, Sosma should not be abolished. Rather, it should be amended to introduce controls to prevent abuse. But the detention without trial provisions should remain albeit in an amended form.

Slip Sliding Away: Fixated notions of freedom and democracy allowing for no dissent is a form of dictatorship too. We don’t know when, but the day may come when Sosma might be needed to deal with the ascendancy of extreme right-wing race and religious fanaticism - that is, if the day hasn’t already arrived.

Let’s be level-headed about this and not just jump on the populist bandwagon. Allow for full and holistic discourse and be not too judgmental. Give national security and stability a chance - that’s all I’m saying.

Magnanimous46: The stand taken by Saifuddin – to not review Sosma - looks ludicrous, to say the least. I can’t see any kind of justification to defend Sosma other than playing to the tune of the security apparatus to get into their good books.

In fact, Saifuddin is supposed to be calling the shots. How much has this got to do with his “backdoor” appointment? Saifuddin did not win a seat in the recent 15th general election.

Whatever happened to Pakatan Harapan’s two-decade-old clarion call of “Reformasi” and its reform agenda, especially against cruel laws and its abuses that enable a free hand to persecute opponents?

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s own detention and black eye as former deputy prime minister is a case in point of the unfettered powers these laws enable law enforcers.

It is a shame, and will likely have consequences for Harapan’s base, civil rights enthusiasts, and right-thinking concerned Malaysians if such blatant betrayal so early in Anwar’s premiership is not revoked and objectively addressed.

Seen by the innumerable backlash from human rights advocates and men in the street and even Harapan politicians, Saifuddin must take note that his stand on defending Sosma, warts and all, will likely come back to hound vulnerable groups, including establishment opponents.

MS: If I’m not wrong, Saifuddin is only a mouthpiece of his master, the great reformist Saudara Anwar. I have often told my Anwar-struck friends that the man uses Reformasi as a cudgel to make his way up to the pedestal of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Now that he has obtained what Poet Laureate of San Francisco Lawrence Ferlinghetti described as the “unobtainable imagined mystery”, he no longer needs to pretend or be all things to all people.

This is why the loyal poodle which Saifuddin really is, brazenly dismisses all protestations about Sosma and the injustice it symbolises - ignoring even the sane legal advice from DAP MP Gobind Singh Deo, preferring instead the “twisted” counsel of Perikatan Nasional’s Hamzah Zainudin, the former home minister.

This, coming so soon after Nov 25 – when Anwar was installed as PM10 - that the unthinkable happened, is a wake-up call for all Anwaristas drunk and deluded on the heady Reformasi hooch.

Sweeping powers under Sosma open to abuse, claims Muda

Another Komentar: Harapan and Anwar should be selective and strategic in repealing Sosma.

However, to do so hastily and without a proper consultative process will enable the mischievous politicians from PAS-Perikatan Nasional to turn the exercise into an anti-Malay, anti-royalty, and anti-Islam discourse to harm Anwar and Harapan.

We remember the controversies surrounding the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd), Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), and other changes to laws used to demonise Harapan. Be patient people.

Reconsider stance on Sosma, Gobind tells home minister

SUN: Such “friendly fire” that destroyed the first incarnation of Harapan should be stopped. All such matters are best discussed privately.

As a rule, all new ministers would be wise to make statements that indicate they are willing to relook at things that don’t look right rather than taking a rigid position without thinking matters through.

Both Saifuddin and Youth and Sports deputy minister Adam Adli have much to learn. Anyone with some sense can see how easily Sosma can, and has been, misused. Reviewing troublesome aspects is not tantamount to retracting them altogether.

The same goes for looking at how immigrants are treated at detention centres. Promise to meet NGOs before concluding matters are being exaggerated. Saifuddin, as a senior person, has already made two missteps.

The PM should take note. Such mistakes at this early stage can affect public confidence badly.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.