Hishammuddin:used of ISA against Sin Chew reporter not justify

PUTRAJAYA: Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said he personally felt that the Internal Security Act (ISA) should not have been used against Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng, and would be raising the matter at the next Cabinet meeting.

He said although he agreed to the use of the ISA to protect national security, it should not be invoked to save or protect any individual, which was given as the reason for Tan’s detention.

“For the other two cases (the ISA arrests of Malaysia Today news portal editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and Selangor executive councillor Teresa Kok), I feel the authorities are better in the know of the risks they posed, but I do not have the information to comment if the arrests were justified.

“But in the context of the reporter, the minister concerned (Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar) has stated the reasons but I personally feel the ISA should not have been used for the reasons he mentioned,” he told reporters after the launching the book Malaysia: From Traditional to Smart Schools - The Malaysian Education Odyssey, here on Monday.

Hishammuddin said in a multi-racial country like Malaysia, threats to the nation’s security and racial harmony must also be considered.

He also said the decision by the government to use the ISA should not be disputed by its members openly, but instead at the Cabinet.

He differed in this from de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who opposed the use of the ISA against civilians, and who has tendered his resignation over the issue. -- Bernama