ISA PROTEST LETTER. for RPK & others (HT: Susan Loone)
19534 emails and rising . go and add your four!
Another straight from the heart piece from Marina .
Peaceful birthday, dear Pete. We love you.
This one straight from Haris’ heart!
Anti-ISA vigil turns into peace march
Initiated by Hindraf, but converged with a GMI event, join by different races and religions .
This may be an older piece, but it’s still relevant!
This is one of the reasons why a section 73 detention is converted to a section 8 detention when the IGP is confronted with a habeas corpus application; the issuance of the Minister’s order narrows the scope of review and permits the Minister to shield himself behind a veil of national security. RPK is not the first victim of such a strategy. We experienced the same difficulty during the so-called JI detentions in late 2002.
There are however peculiarities about RPK’s detention that may give us footholds to ease our ascent. The media has reported that the Minister issued the detention order on the recommendations of the police. These pertained to the so-called anti-Islamic articles that RPK is supposed to have written. We at least know the basis of the detention and are able to bring it into focus when we get to court.
There are also no other legal tricks that can be pulled by the Ministry. The issuance of the detention order is as problematic for RPK as it can get. Some have said that this makes the detention virtually immune from challenge. I would like to think that the interests of justice can always be served if we remain hopeful of finding the path to it.
Every case in court brings us into uncharted territory and with it surprises. I have had my share. In 2001, Justice Hishamuddin ordered the release of Abdul Ghani Haroon and N Gobalakrishnan. He also prevented the police from re-arresting the two. I was in court the day he pronounced the orders and the sheer exultation I felt as he did remains with me to this day as has the awareness that there are those who will do the right thing when times seem darkest.
RPK and the other civil society leaders who have shown us the way started a process to transform this country. This legal campaign is a part of it as is the mounting civil society pressure against the ISA that have spring-boarded off his detention and that of Theresa Kok, Tan Hoong Cheng and the HINDRAF 5. RPK knew what would happen and lent himself to the process. For that reason above all, he is firmly ensconced in my mind as a patriot.
We must not lose faith. The fight has not ended, it has just begun.