by Teo Soh Lung
In a 1991 interview with Malaysian journalists, then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was asked why the ISA was still needed even though the Communist Party of Malaya no longer posed a threat. He replied that if Malaysia abolish the ISA, Singapore would seriously consider abolishing the ISA.
Mr Lee Hsien Loong was appointed prime minister in 2004.
On 15 September 2011, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak announced that he would abolish the ISA. Four days later, 16 former ISA detainees issued a joint statement calling on the Singapore government to abolish the ISA. See http://tinyurl.com/3cffbbs9. It was the first time that a group of former ISA prisoners detained from the 1960s to the 1980s had got together to issue a public statement.
I recall that it was not easy for former detainees especially those of earlier times to sign such a statement. Fear of repercussions was understandable. After all, they had already got on with their lives and have families to take care of. Let the past be the past. But the fact that the statement was signed by nine detainees of the 1960s and 1970s within a space of just a few days was evidence that at least, some of them have overcome fear.
The joint statement probably surprised the government. For the next few days, they planned their response.
On Saturday, 24 September 2011, The Straits Times reported the government’s reply in the Prime News page. It was quite impressive, half a page long with photographs of two of the signatories. Dr Poh Soo Kai’s photo was in the report. I think the government suspected Dr Poh to be the chief instigator of the statement and attempted to vilify him by repeating the lies that he went to Masai, Johor to treat a wounded Katong bomber. Subsequently, there were several reports of that incident in the media. I shall not bother to write about Dr Poh’s rebuttal to this big lie. You can read his response in his autobiography, Living in a Time of Deception which is published by Function 8 and has an electronic edition. The second photo was me. I was referred to as a “Marxist plot detainee”. Quite a compliment for a person who has still not read Das Kapital.
In 2012, Malaysia under much pressure, campaigns and protests from the people, non-governmental organisation like SUARAM and the Malaysian Bar abolished the ISA. In Singapore, there was no organisation or respectable academic or individual who called for the abolition of the ISA.
The Malaysian ISA was replaced by the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA). Critics often say that SOSMA is equally draconian. But this is not true. The law does not permit indefinite detention without trial. An arrested person must be tried in open court after being detained for 24 hours with at most, an extension of 28 days. Before the expiry of this period, the person must be charged in court for offences under relevant laws or be released. Note that despite the land size of Malaysia, the period for investigation of a person is 24 hours and not 48 hours in tiny Singapore.
More than a decade has gone by since Malaysia repealed the ISA. In Singapore nothing happens. The ISA continues to be freely used and no one protests, not even the Singapore Bar or non governmental organisations. Migrant workers and people as young as 15 years old have been arrested and imprisoned without trial. There is no outcry for these arrests and detentions. Indeed, some shameless academics even applauded the government’s actions and support the free use of the law.
The following persons are still being detained at the Changi Prison Complex. They are treated like convicted prisoners and subjected to 24 hour surveillance. This should not be the case and I hope those Justices of Peace who visit prisoners object to such treatment.
| Name | Date of Arrest | |
| 1 Haji Ibrahim bin Haji Maidin | 2001.12.00 | |
| 2 Alauhuddeen bin Abdullah | 2002.10.00 | |
| 3 Mohd Aslam bin Yar Ali Khan | 2002.12.00 | |
| 4 Mas Selamat bin Kastari | 2010.09.24 | |
| 5 Masyhadi Mas Selamat | 2013.10.00 | |
| 6 M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’I (19 years old) | 2015.04.00 | |
| 7 Unnamed youth (16 years old) | 2020.12.00 | |
| 8 Amirull Ali (20 years old NS man) | 2021.02.05 | |
| 9 Radjev Lal s/o Madan Lal | 2022.03.00 | |
| 10 Mohamed Hassan bin Saynudin | 2022.03.01 | |
| 11 Mohamed Khairul Riduan bin Mohamed Sarip | 2022.10.00 | |
| 12 Unnamed youth (15 years old) | 2022.11.00 | |
| 13 Muhammad Irfran Danyal bin Mohamad Nor (18 years old) | 2022.12.00 |
If my record contains errors, I hope the government can clarify. I had in the past written to the MHA but have not received any response.
It is easy for us to forget about people who are imprisoned without trial. Out of sight is out of mind. For now, let us remember that they are still in prison and their families are suffering grave hardship. Until we abolish the ISA, this law will always be used as a convenient and easy tool to put away people who the government knows that if they are tried in a court of law they will never be able to secure a conviction. They are therefor innocent and are being punished by the ministers who have no judicial authority.
Singapore is a peaceful country. Its citizens are not permitted to be in possession of weapons. Even carrying a pen knife is an offence.
ABOLISH THE ISA!
Function 8 