Bersih today said it has seen the repeated use of the Security Offices (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) as a political weapon to detain any individual without a trial.
Its chairperson Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said the electoral watchdog will continue to call for the draconian act to be repealed.
"We see Sosma being used as a political weapon to detain any individual without a trial.
"Yes... the government can use Sosma for security reasons, but we don't know in the next five years, (there may be) social activists who are not involved in terrorism who will be arrested (under Sosma)," Faisal (above) told Malaysiakini after the press conference at the Bersih Congress in Kuala Lumpur.
He added that there is an unclear line in the use of the act, citing the example of former Bersih chairperson Marina Chin Abdullah who was arrested under the act in 2016.
Maria was detained for 10 days before the Bersih 5 rally, of which she was the chairperson, on the grounds of organising activities that undermine democracy.
Commenting further, Faisal said the government needs to open a space for discussion with NGOs and clarify why the act is needed.
It also needs to listen to the views of NGOs and stakeholders on why Sosma needs to be repealed, he added.
During the Bersih Congress at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) today, 19 out of 20 motions brought forward were passed.
One of the motions by Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) is for Sosma’s abolition to be included in Bersih's reform agenda.
‘Use other laws’
When asked if it was appropriate for the Ulu Tiram police station attack suspect's family members to be detained under Sosma, Faisal replied that it would be better if authorities used other existing laws.
"For me, they are not the perpetrators. If there is evidence of their complicity, it is (more) appropriate for them to be detained under existing laws other than Sosma.
"Because in the context of the existing laws, remand is enough," he said.
Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain confirmed that five family members of the man who attacked the Ulu Tiram police station last week are now detained under Sosma.
On May 17, two police personnel were killed when a 22-year-old man attacked them at the Ulu Tiram police station in Johor. The 2.30am incident also saw the attacker shot dead by the police.
Subsequently, the police raided the man’s family house and arrested his family members, including the attacker’s father who is said to be a known member of the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah.
Razarudin initially linked the suspect to the banned terror organisation but subsequently clarified it was an individual act and the alleged links to JI were from his father’s status as a member. - Mkini
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