Don’t be fooled into thinking that the status quo would change following the announcement made by new Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak that 13 ISA detainees would be released tomorrow, warns the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI).
The group’s president, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, said today the move is nothing but a “sweetening goodwill” move designed to rake in the votes for the three ongoing by-elections.
“This move is definitely politically-motivated or maneuvering with its timing designed carefully to rake in the votes to affect the outcome of the three by-elections.
“The outcome of the three by-elections are crucial in order to exert his influence as the new prime minister and (as the president of) BN,” he said in a statement today.
He added that Najib’s move reflected how the fate and lives of the detainees depend solely on the discretion on one person who wields the power to not only silence dissidents at his will, but also to release them at a time considered advantageous to those who hold power.
“Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the time when he became the prime minister did the same thing but what happened after that?
The “goodwill” gesture said Syed Ibrahim means nothing when there are still 40 people detained with some of them being detained for more than seven years.
“Why? At the same time, there are those who had been accused of committing similar crimes to some of the 13 released but yet they are not freed,” he commented.
Najib made the announcement last night when he addressed the nation via live telecast as the country’s sixth prime minister after he was officially sworn in earlier in the morning.
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