Dr M: Cops stopped me from scrapping ISA!
February 17, 2011
Do You Believe this?– Dr M: Cops stopped me from scrapping ISA
by S Pathmawathy@www.malaysiakini.com
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad now claims that he had once tried to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA) while he was in power.
“I suggested scrapping of the ISA, but I depended on national security advice from the police and they said ‘cannot’ (because) there still are threats,” he said.
Speaking at a forum on democracy organised by the Senate, Mahathir told about 200 people present that the law was imposed by the British colonial power during the communist insurgency of the 1950s.
“The ISA must be invoked when necessary, but when I was the prime minister, I wanted to abolish the ISA but the police were against it,” he said.
Mahathir was responding to questions posed by Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali, who expressed support to retain ISA for the purpose of national security. Mahathir reiterated that the preventive laws are necessary and even country that advocate for absolute democracy and freedom imposed similar laws.
Citing Guantanamo Bay, the US detention facility in Cuba as an example, Mahathir said the ISA does not condone torture that is practised there.
“In Guantanamo Bay, there are 500 detainees, who were not (only) detained without trial, but were also subjected to torture. Those who criticise the ISA have never become the prime minister, that is why they don’t know,” he said in reference to salvos from the opposition.
Mahathir has often been accused of being the chief abuser of the ISA, which allows detention without trial, particularly during Operasi Lalang in 1987 and to quell dissent during the reformasi era in 1998.
Book sparks debate
In a recent book on Mahathir, Doctor M: Operation Malaysia – Conversations with 
Mahathir Mohamad, the statesman recounts his experience in dealing with these conflicts.
“I actually met all of the opposition members (beforehand) and assured them that they would not be arrested. And you know what the police did? They arrested them. My credibility is gone,” Mahathir was quoted as saying by the author, Tom Plate.
He agreed with Plate that he was furious over what the police had done to nab 106 people, including political dissidents, under the ISA in 1987.
However, defended having given in to the police to make the decision as they were more familiar with sentiments on the ground.
Several DAP leaders, including veteran Lim Kit Siang who was among those arrested during the dragnet, dismissed Mahathir’s claims about the meeting.
“When I suggested that the period (of detention) be reduced from two to one year, they (the advisers) said cannot,” Mahathir is quoted as saying in the book. However, the book also notes that Mahathir had in 1987 amended the ISA to allow absolute discretion on the length of detention to the minister in charge (of internal security).
Hanif: it was my duty to uphold the law
Another speaker on the forum panel, (Tun) Mohammed Hanif Omar, who was the inspector-general of police during Operasi Lalang, affirmed that he had indeed dissuaded Mahathir and his then Education Minister Anwar Ibrahim from scrapping the ISA.
“When he (Mahathir) became prime minister (the then deputy premier) Musa Hitam told me, ‘don’t arrest under ISA, Mahathir will not like it’,” Hanif told the audience.
Hanift said the Special Branch director then, Rahim Noor (who subsequently became IGP), was with him during the briefing with Mahathir and that Rahim was of the opinion that racial sentiments were flaring and going out of control.
Hanif said his duty at the time was to uphold the law and that amending or abolishing the ISA was the duty of the Parliament.
Hanif had told Malaysiakini last week that the decision to arrest the political dissidents was made by his men to curb an outbreak of racial riots.
In the 1987 crackdown on Oct 27, 106 people – mostly opposition leaders and a handful of MCA and UMNO politicians – were arrested under the ISA while the publishing permits for The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh and Watan were revoked.
Anwar: Dr M never tried to abolish ISA
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad now claims that he had once tried to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA) while he was in power.
I’ll be damned. The senile old man was an angel in disguise after all and the police were the devils. He was angry with the police for imprisoning the 106 under ISA !!!!!!!!
Who could have thought (or cooked) something like this?
And the Prime Minister was helpless… he was a lame duck Prime Minister in 1987!!!! Oh my God. We almost had a coup by the police and Haniff Omar could have become the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
After 23 years, and told to a foreigner
Frank - February 17, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Who was the Home Minister in 1987 during Operations Lallang?
I know. It was Mahathir Mohamad’s twin brother. It could not be Mahathir the Prime Minister because he opposed ISA and wanted to abolish ISA but the POLICE PREVENTED HIM from scrapping the ISA
Anyway, read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahathir_Mohamad
(in Wikipedia, quoted from “Malaysia: the making of a nation. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ” Cheah, Boon Keng (2002). Malaysia: the making of a nation. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 219. ISBN 9812301542. p. 219. ISBN 9812301542.
Malaysians must now build statues of Mahathir to line up the roads in the Klang Valley.
It is the POLICE after all who are the culprit, not Mahathir the Prime Minister for the continuation of ISA.
I’ll be damn. Bugger me for being so ignorant in the last 20 years.
Frank - February 17, 2011 at 11:22 pm
Frank, I will be damn too. Suddenly, Mahathir becomes a liberal democrat and respecter of human rights. I can’t believe it. If you want to read my comments on Citizen Mahathir, do get a copy to Tom Plate’s book and read what I wrote in it.–Din Merican
dinobeano - February 17, 2011 at 11:36 pm
Dear Yang Amat Ariff Tun,
Please do not forget that you are a muslim and when a Malaysian muslim points he uses his thumb to be polite. But when you do that you will notice that the rest of the four fingers are pointing at you.Thank You and have a good day.
Anonymous - February 17, 2011 at 11:41 pm
Twenty years from now, Najib would recall that actually he wanted to abolish the NEP and the 30 % quota in 2010, but PERKASA and Ibrahim Ali PREVENTED him from doing so.
How convenient!!! I will teach my grand kid to learn the phrase, “Bugger me for being ignorant in the last 20 years”.
Frank - February 17, 2011 at 11:49 pm
Consider yourself buggered. Me too.
That is what we call creative His-Story. Revise the history books. This is the ONLY country in the whole damned Universe where the PM cum HM are whipped by deified policemen.
Then, suddenly, the low down education minister, who had nothing whatsoever to do with internal security was mentioned in passing..
All this spewing of arcane hi fa-luting stuff is causing serious indigestion.
C.L. Familiaris - February 17, 2011 at 11:50 pm
Cafe-latte Frank is into anal sex?? Why am I not surprised?
Mr Bean - February 18, 2011 at 12:39 am
Cafe-latte Frank is into anal sex?? Why am I not surprised?- Mr Bean
Mr Bean is back into into usual Freudian stupor.
Frank - February 18, 2011 at 1:10 am
Without ISA Mahathir would have been long gone. He used ISA,OSA,Operasi Lalang and wrote the book called “Malay delimma” for his own good.
tourman53 - February 18, 2011 at 2:15 am
THE TALKING SHIT !
Mohamad - February 18, 2011 at 4:43 am
If Mahathir claims he is actually a liberal democrat and respecter of human rights then what has to say about how he emasculated the Judiciary.
I can recall how crudely he sacked Salleh Abas and the two Supreme Court judges.
I can recall how crudely he sacked Anwar and demonized him publicly.
Mahathir will look complete if only he has two horns on his head and four long canine teeth. When did he remove or hide them?
Sam01 - February 18, 2011 at 8:30 am
I have always suspect Hitler wept every night. He was shocked when his police said the Jews were evil and needed to be eliminated. Despite his protest the police round up Jewish families to be gassed. He couldn’t resist because the police said they knew best and it was their duty.
It was the same with Pol Pot and Stalin. In Heaven the three are referred to as the weeping angels. Soon there will be four!
Thomas - February 18, 2011 at 8:42 am
This man is writing his revisionist version of Malaysian history. It is enough that during his tenure as prime minister, all history concerning Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn was scrapped. The generation born in 1981 never had any other history than the Mahathirian narrative.
This man should be brought before a Truth Commission and then pilloried before our eyes. He is a curse to Malaysia and nothing can change until he is gone.He abandoned his Bangsa Malaysia (1991) and does not understand his Vision 2020 (the copyright to this belongs to the late Tan Sri Dr. Noordin Sopiee) and has again become a Ultra, a term he resents (read Tom Plate’s book page 59). But if he is not an ultra, what is he? He is a liar then. Such a despicable person, that is my assessment of Prime Minister No.4.
kakrubi56 - February 18, 2011 at 8:53 am
I don’t know whether I should believe Dr. M on this. I am confused. I am puzzled.
I watched the few minutes sound-bite on him on TV3 last night. It goes like this: “I did not order the Ops Lalang.” the audience clapped with a boo. He gawked at them and replied: : “It’s true” to another applause.
“It’s the police who ordered it. I did not sign the order.” A third applause.
Then came Tun Hanif who said : “Yes, Tun does not like the ISA. It was the police order.”
” I remember Musa Hitam telling me when he became Home Minister saying orang ni tak suka ISA.”
“I told Musa, it is needed to protect the security of the country.”
And then Chandra Muzaffar replied: “Yes I was detained for 60 days. It was not Tun Mahathir’s order.”
It set me thinking. You mean to say Tun M was not in charge of the Home Ministry. That we are some kind of police state where the police have the upper hand. And who signed the detention order if not the Home Minister.
My conclusion: Haha Tun M. I caught you there.
____________
Chandra is right. He was detained for 57 days by the Police. Mahathir freed him after that. So he is eternally grateful to the Tun. But how credible is Chandra these days. He is now part of the very system he was opposed when he was with TRUST and Aliran. People change with time.–Din Merican
Pak Abu - February 18, 2011 at 9:17 am
I have a slightly different view, so I beg to differ in some respects. We have to also look at it from another side about Emergency or Internal Security laws.
UK has all the Anti-terrorism laws, Singapore, and most Western nations do have some kind of preventive laws. EXCEPT that these are laws to be invoked as the final or last resort, in times of great public disorder, and racial conflicts, and TERRORISM !
In the 1987 crackdown, those 106 detained were largely due to political dissent, and perhaps not justified in the circumstances, because the detentions were too arbitrary, may have been hasty even….Look at the past few trends lately, anything as flimsy as non-muslims commenting azan, or wanting to enter a mosque, and some minor protests somewhere, authorities were too quick to shout ” ISA ” ! Which of course is ridiculous, to say the least.
But on the other side, most modern nations do need and maintain the emergency or security laws, if not for anything else, it is left hanging there like the sword of Democles : as a last resort ( & authorities should not be trigger-happy )
I recall. the Memali Incident in Kedah, May l969 Riots, and the more recent Al-Maunah Arms heist in Perak, in all these, it was the SWIFT initial crackdown by the Authorities using the ISA, that largely helped to contain the outbreak in the locality, and, PREVENTED the civil unrest to SPREAD far and wide. Particularly the 1969 riots, if not for the pre-emptive ISA actions, it was about to spread as far as Kelantan & the East Coast states, and Perak. ISA quickly nipped it in the bud !
These are emergency laws needed, but NOT abused by the authorities over petty matters.
______________
Abnizar7, too liberal use of the ISA and other draconian laws must not be allowed. Political dissent as long it is peaceful and orderly should be allowed. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, but if the government is honest and clean and serves its people then there should no cause for dissent. Is there?–Din Merican
Abnizar7 - February 18, 2011 at 9:18 am
Now that this mamak-kutty
pariahhas openly stated his stance against the ISA, I wonder if his Perkosa and UMNO servants will now be singing a different tune i.e, that the ISA is no longer needed to counter the threat of the pendatang Chinese.This guy must really think that we are ALL fools, even God almighty Himself will not believe in his lies in his dying days. Maybe, he thinks he will go on living forever, perhaps.
barry - February 18, 2011 at 9:55 am
A man concerned with his legacy. that’s all.
___________
Rusman, what legacy? More about his family and Mukhriz’s political future. If he cared truly for Malaysia, we would not be morally retarded as we are today with all our institutions of governance emasculated. For all the problems Pakistan has, its Judiciary is a true bastion of justice because it is independent. That is the redeeming future of that great nation.–Din Merican
rusman - February 18, 2011 at 10:02 am
I have been following this discussion for the past two days.
Let us assume that BOTH Tun M and Tun Hanif are telling the truth.
Then it means that the Malaysian Police are a force unto themselves.
They are not accountable to anyone. Even the Prime Minister cannot tell them what to do.
Is that what Mahathir and Hanif are saying to us?? That the police of Malaysia are answerable to no one? Not even the Prime Minister? That they are free to do whatever they want??
May God help Malaysia.
John Malott - February 18, 2011 at 10:12 am
hahahah..this is good..probably we should ask larry, moe and curly to invite this mamak kerala to join them as Three Stooges and One MAMAK FROM KERALA SHOWS!
malaun - February 18, 2011 at 10:14 am
perhaps a stage where lie detectors have to be used everytime Dr M says something has been reached….poor old man!
jay - February 18, 2011 at 10:33 am
John,
It is unfortunate that as reported it does give the impression that the Royal Malaysian Police or Polis di-Raja is a force to be reckoned with i.e. a force independent unto itself. That is not true.
At least during and up to the time of Hanif as IGP that was not the case. The Royal Malaysian Police or simply the police, like the military has that tradition of being subservient to civilian leadership due in no small measure to the training they received and their professionalism. Running parallel to this is the doctrine of civil service neutrality due also in no small measure to the tradition left by the Brits – legacy of British rule.
That in the case of the police was later to change – though not so with the country’s military. The police (after Hanif as IGP)appears increasingly as a tool of oppression. The civil service lost its political neutrality and operated more and more like it is an appendage of the political party that runs it.
Mr Bean - February 18, 2011 at 10:48 am
Remember when he (he was PM and Home Minister then) said Anwar’s black eye was self-inflicted?
Any other person would have resigned in disgrace when proven otherwise!
Hancock - February 18, 2011 at 10:57 am
The next thing he gonna say is that pigs and cats have wings to fly and Bean was once his deputy premier.
Al Kutty, you are slowly but surely sliding into the hell hole. Spare us the drama. Trust me, if you go away no one here gonna miss you.
Tok Cik - February 18, 2011 at 11:48 am
Controversy is alive! It should be be made into a sit-com which will have a long series of episodes that will feature the main actor as the star and the series will end when an unfortunate turn of event happens to the main actor and the regular supporting cast. It won’t be as funny and entertaining as the long running BBC comedy series ” Yes Mr. Prime Minister”, I assure you, unless the producer of the series spice it up.
man-on-the-street - February 18, 2011 at 11:50 am
Din
With regard to Chandra, yes he’s changed. Hey he’s Chariman of IMalaysia now. Rehabilitated by Tun M.
I remember attending one conference when Tun M said how he despised that man. I don’t want to repeat his description of Chandra.
Anyhow, everything is forgotten and forgiven.
Chandra is now on the right side.
Why can’t Mahathir be brave and admitted he used ISA like King Ghaz.
When King Ghaz arrested the three Abduls, people said why did he detained Abdullah Majid who is his relative.
He replied: “Blood or not, I am carrying out my duty without fear or favor.”
Pak Abu - February 18, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Sorry. It should read blood ties or not. Thanks.
Pak Abu - February 18, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Pak Abu,
The Majid brothers Abdullah and Wahab were victims of circumstances. Not sure about the other Abdul tho. Two brothers were assigned to the most powerful office and had access to both PM and DPM.
semper fi - February 18, 2011 at 1:17 pm
What is this loose term, “Prevent Racial riots”? Why is this used over and over . Is it a knee jerk reaction or is it true that there were going to be racial riots? If it is true the public demand the evidence. If its not true why is this term used so loosely by Government to invoke the use of ISA?
So an IGP can invoke the use of ISA without approval of the PM? M’sia is a police state? Then why are we calling ourselves a democracy. We are a Police state then if the IGP decides with regards to ISA. Lets examine this now that its out in the open. What kind of country are we?
Kathy - February 18, 2011 at 1:25 pm
He wants to add to the damage to his reputation already made by Barry Wain’s book?
Phua Kai Lit - February 18, 2011 at 1:29 pm
So as it turns out, Mahathir was a USELESS PM who could not control the police.
I see………….
Bobby - February 18, 2011 at 2:20 pm
“How much pain have cost us the evils that have never happened”
Thomas Jefferson
Kathy - February 18, 2011 at 3:14 pm
The senile old man is trying to cleanse his legacy so that history can look at him kindly.
Frank - February 18, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Doto’ Din, if I may say this is part and parcel of this Maha Firaun effort to make himself ‘immortal’. How pathetic can it be. But don’t be surprise if many Malays will fall into this. Contoh yang pailing jelas, sebahagian besar Melayu tidak akan percaya yang Maha Firaun ini adalah cukup kaya dengan menggunakan ‘stable2 kuda’ seperti Daim, Vincent Tan , YTL dan Ananda Krisnan. Kita kena akui akan kepintaran otak ular beliau.
Regards
ariffdanial - February 18, 2011 at 4:14 pm
apanama’s legacy is that of massive corruption, compromised jurisdiction, leakages, lies, more damning lies and now, that of a mamak weakling, subject to the pdrm’s whims & fancies…
I’ll be damned! apanama is now a turn coat to all the above? hahahah! Betcha apanama gonna be sayin’ next, that the pdrm had a gun to his senile head to sign the ISA detention order, or else!
hurricaneMax - February 18, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Woi Dato’ Pak Abu
We know you but not as Pak Abu. Aren’t you among the many beneficiaries
of Mahathir’s projects. You sounded very ungrateful. Remember he’s like a father to you. Count your blessings, my friend.
__________
What gratitude are you talking when I worked like hell throughout my whole life–I am now 7 decades and Two years old– to get where I am. I was a corporate executive in a major corporation where competition was the norm. If you think I am a crony, you are wrong. I am grateful to All Mighty God for His Blessings, the rest is sheer hard work.
I respect TDM, but that does not mean I cannot disagree with him. I am sad that he is no longer the man I knew growing up in Kedah and in my early working career. He should let history be the judge of his attainments and stand back and allow a new generation of leaders get on with their work.–Din Merican
Umno man - February 18, 2011 at 5:16 pm
You sounded very ungrateful.. Remember he’s like a father to you. Count your blessings- UMNO man
That is how brutal dictators stay in power like those in North Korea and the Middle East. They feed their followers whilst they abuse the power they have to in engage in evil and illegal activities including suppression of the interests of the man-in-the-street.
And that is how the senile old man was in power for 22 years (just short of the 30 year regime of the corrupt Mubarak) and how UMNO remained in power since Independence.
A culture in UMNO that breeds corruption and cronyism and self-interest but preaches the Untuk Bangsa dan Agama falsehood to the ordinary Malays.
Malaysia,if not for the pendatangs, will be no different from those despotic African countries and the one-party Arab states in the Middle East which are currently under threat by people power.
Frank - February 18, 2011 at 8:07 pm
“The next thing he gonna say is that pigs and cats have wings to fly and Bean was once his deputy premier” Gen. Tok Cik
I forgot to pay the guy for the house call he made in 1969. It has always been my intention to slip a ten-dollar note into his hand when I next shake his hand — before he expires. It doesn’t look I’d be able to do that now. Even if that were to happen one day he’d not know the difference between paper and a goat’s tit. I believe that’s what Alzheimer does to you. You forget you’re once the prime minister of a country but thought you had a good life as a goat herder.
Which may be a relief for all of us because then he would be pontificating less about matters of state and more about goats.
Mr Bean - February 18, 2011 at 9:01 pm
He should let history be the judge of his attainments and stand back and allow a new generation of leaders get on with their work.–Din Merican
The man is trying his best to repair his tainted legacy. Here the media wouldn’t care less. Former U.S. Presidents spend their remaining time writing memoirs and selling books and making their millions.
The jury is only starting to take their seats in the case of JFK. For the others the jury is still out. In the case of Mahathir, jury selection has yet to begin.
Mr Bean - February 18, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Umnoman
Salam to you since you know me. Like you, we UMNO people do respect and love our leaders. I especially hold Tun M in high regard since he’s nearer in age to my grandpa.
But in this case, I sincerely think he’s not speakng the truth.
It’s wrong totally to think that I benefited greatly from his policies. I worked hard for the projects I got and I have the knowldge and expertise to run it.
What’s the use of my education if I did not make something out of myself.
As you know I was a petty officer in a multi-national company when Tun came for a briefing on our company some 25 years ago. I was among three officers and the most junior assigned to brief him.
Later he wanted to see me because he thought I was very good at my job. He asked me where I studied and told me ” You are the same age as my children. Work harder and you will be someone one day.”
After learning the ropes there and extending my networks, I strive on my own and set up the joint-venture company I have now.
I bid for projects the kosher way. Of course there are certain areas which the government do help us.
Pak Abu - February 18, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Bean,
Hopefully, he’ll end like you’ve said, tending to goats rather than making a complete ass of himself. His memory keeps betraying him to an extent that he cannot not remember which end of the rod he once held.
The hell hole is waiting to swallow him and Justice (Irrelevant) Paul is there to welcome him.
Tok Cik - February 18, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Never knew Justice Augustine Paul swallowed.
Mr Bean - February 19, 2011 at 12:07 am
The doctrine of civil service neutrality requires that the police and the military be neutral. The race riots of ’69 tested this doctrine for the first time and it came out unscathed.
When Mahathir took over as Prime Minister he began to relentlessly chip at the doctrine and with it the system of checks and balances and the separation of powers. He removed the discretionary powers available to the courts at common law and went on to remove the power of judicial review available to the courts when reviewing cases under the Internal Security Act.
Is this the same man who now claims he wanted the Internal Security Act repealed??
Mr Bean - February 19, 2011 at 2:31 am
I bid for projects the kosher way. Of course there are certain areas which the government do help us.- Pak Abu
You sure you did not get contracts on the lap. Did you compete for projects with the Non Malays? or just among the UMNO Malays?
Frank - February 19, 2011 at 6:28 am
Is this the same man who now claims he wanted the Internal Security Act repealed??-Mr Bean
The senile old man is an incorrigible liar…he even has the gall to lie at the age of 86…What kind of an example he sets for the younger generation. To lie through his teeth so blatantly. In this case, it cannot be a case of just senility that he lied.
Frank - February 19, 2011 at 6:32 am
Wow now contracts also have to be kosher? What will Jakim say. In Malaysia it has to be Halal or Haram none of these kosher stuff. Even Najib mentioned about plurality in Islam in Malaysia. Wonder did he recite surah Al Ikhlas?
semper fi - February 19, 2011 at 7:16 am
Guys,
Watch this!
looes74 - February 19, 2011 at 12:10 pm