KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — A Barisan Nasional MP and two independents are among 77 mostly opposition legislators who have so far signed a petition to the Prime Minister calling for a debate in Parliament to review or repeal the Internal Security Act.
The anti-ISA parliamentary caucus did not, however, reveal the name of the BN MP, but chairman Lim Kit Siang of the DAP said he hopes to get more MPs from the BN to sign the petition and make it a bipartisan effort.
Lim told reporters in the Parliament lobby today that 77 MPs had signed a petition calling for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to prioritise a motion to debate the review and repeal of the Internal Security Act when the House reconvenes next Wednesday.
"This includes one BN MP, two independents and 74 Pakatan Rakyat MPs," the Ipoh Timur MP said, explaining later that other PR legislators were out of town and unable to sign the petition.
He also revealed that the two independents were Datuk Dr Chua Soon Bui and Eric Enchin Majimbun, the MPs from SAPP, which recently exited the BN coalition.
"If more than a third of MPs show their desire to debate this issue, then the Prime Minister must make it a top priority if parliamentary democracy has any meaning here. If he says no, he is completely irresponsible.
"I regret that only one BN MP has supported the motion," the DAP parliamentary leader said, adding that it was not even a motion to abolish the ISA but merely to debate it.
Caucus secretary Fong Po Kuan also stated that 23 BN MPs had been approached so far to sign the petition but only one agreed.
PKR Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul said that "some personally agreed but did not dare to sign as they needed to see what those above had to say. Maybe in three or four days they will change their mind."
"At their national delegates conferences, both Gerakan and MCA called for a repeal of the ISA. By not supporting this petition their ministers and MPs have betrayed the trust of their delegates," Lim added.
He also said that a second batch of signatures would be sent after the Deepavali break.
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