Umno senator says civil society activists may bomb Parliament

An Umno senator has implied that the 'TakNakDiktator' Campaign Coalition which visited Parliament last week might pose a security threat to Parliament.

Without naming the group, Noriah Mahat said she was given some material related to National Security Council Bill 2015 by some 'irrelevant people'.

"It seems (to me) that the NSC bill was perceived as the sky is falling by the opposition," she said.

"At the main entrance of Parliament, (the signboard) says only parliamentarians can enter," she said when debating the NSC bill at the Senate today.

"But when I came, I saw that non-parliamentarians were giving out pamphlets and they represented the nine NGOs. They slammed our government," she said.

"I want to ask about the security issue. If people like this can enter, how about if other people come in with bombs, blast this place (the Parliament). What will become (of us) ?" she asked.

"Do not think this as a trivial matter. Even if we think she is a beautiful girl, do not let her enter," she urged.

On Dec 15, the 'TakNakDiktator' coalition members showed up in Parliament as part of their campaign to persuade the senators to object to the NSC bill.

The campaign was started by rights and civil society groups including Amnesty International Malaysia, Lawyers for Liberty, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and Hakam.

More than 22,000 supporters have also signed a petition urging the Dewan Negara to veto the NSC bill and return it to the lower house for further review.

There have also been individual efforts to write to and send e-mails to the senators, personally asking them to reject the bill.

No safeguards

The NSC bill has generated much dissent amongst civil society organisations which fear that it will grant the prime minister wide powers to declare a certain location as a 'security area' and then arrest and detain at whim without oversight.

Critics further argue that the bill grants the government almost dictatorial powers at the expense of civil liberties safeguarded by the constitution, under the pretext of maintaining peace.

Citing the Lahd Datu incident as an example, the government argues that such expedient measures are vital to enable it to respond speedily and without encumbrances to contain an emergency situation before it develops into a full-blown armed conflagration.

[More to follow]

-Mkini