Hindraf legal advisor M Manoharan, who is under ISA detention, has today confirmed that he is considering quitting his Selangor state seat of Kota Alam Shah.
In a statement issued by his wife S Pushpaneela, the ISA detainee said he regretted his inability to effectively serve his constituents over the past 14 months given his incarceration at the Kamunting detention camp in Taiping, Perak.
“I feel a sense of guilt of being unable to serve the voters who have voted me as their respresentative in the Selangor state assembly. I feel I am being unfair to my constituents thus far,” he said.
“I now have to consider resigning as a Selangor state assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah paving the way for a by-election in order for my constituents to re-elect their new representative who will be better able to serve them and who will be able to physically attend all the sittings of the Selangor state legislative assembly and matters arriving there from.”
Pushpaneela, who met her husband in Kamunting today, came out from the detention camp at around 4.15 pm.
Two days ago Malaysiakini reported that the detained assemblyperson was considering giving up his seat due to his frustration of not being able to physically serve his constituents, quoting an unnamed close source.
Contested under the DAP ticket
Manoharan was detained under the ISA on Dec 13, 2007 along with four other top Hindraf leaders.
He then contested under the DAP ticket for the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor while in custody and defeated BN-Gerakan's Ching Su Chen by 7,184 votes.
However, Manoharan will only make the official decision after a meeting with DAP chairperson Karpal Singh on May 19 at the Kamunting Detention Camp.
According to the statement read out by Pushpaneela via telephone with Malaysiakini, her husband has “exhausted all avenues” to seek his release and all the efforts have been in vain.
“I have written a letter to former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, three letters to now Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, eight letters to former home minister Syed Hamid Albar, and two letters to Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (to gain my freedom),” said Manoharan.
Apart from that, he added, his applications to attend the state assembly sittings have all been rejected by the Home Ministry.
“(Instead), I was forced to apply for leave from the ministry,” he said.
Furthermore, Manoharan also expressed his frustration over the ISA advisory board and its panel members “who have all rejected my pleas for my release”.
“The High Court has dismissed my three habeas corpus application and the Federal Court have dismissed all the three appeals from the High Court.
“So all the efforts (I have made) have been to no avail. I am very disappointed that this had happened despite the 12,699 voters of Kota Alam Shah having voted to show that I have never ever been a threat to national security.
“The home minister defied the voice of the people and the democratic voice of the 12,699 voters,” he said.
Wife: It's only so much I can do
Between being the breadwinner of her family and replacing Manoharan as the state assemblyperson, Pushpaneela, however, conceded that her contributions in the constituency is still unsatisfactory.
Even though she had acted on behalf of her husband for the past 14 months, she said that she still “can’t bring the constituents grievances to the state assembly”.
“I can do as much as I can in the constituency, but I cannot attend the state assembly sitting. As a state representative, you need to bring their grievances to the august House but these people have been denied (this),” she said.
Despite the hardest decision that her husband has to make, the mother of four children however said that Manoharan was “in good spirit”.
“But he just feels very guilty ... the people only saw his posters and not him in person. He tried his best to be out (of prison) to serve them ... but he can’t even attend the assembly sitting,” said Puspaneela.
Manoharan's threat to quit has put Najib on the back foot.
The prime minister has lambasted the opposition for forcing by-elections for no good reasons after Penanti assembyperson Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin resigned from his Penang state seat last month.
In this case, Manoharan is arguing that he has compelling and legitimate reasons to quit, unless of course, Najib releases him from ISA detention.
The Kota Alam Shah seat is one of the three seats which falls under the Klang constituency, also held by DAP. It covers Klang town and surrounding areas.
In a statement issued by his wife S Pushpaneela, the ISA detainee said he regretted his inability to effectively serve his constituents over the past 14 months given his incarceration at the Kamunting detention camp in Taiping, Perak.“I feel a sense of guilt of being unable to serve the voters who have voted me as their respresentative in the Selangor state assembly. I feel I am being unfair to my constituents thus far,” he said.
“I now have to consider resigning as a Selangor state assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah paving the way for a by-election in order for my constituents to re-elect their new representative who will be better able to serve them and who will be able to physically attend all the sittings of the Selangor state legislative assembly and matters arriving there from.”
Pushpaneela, who met her husband in Kamunting today, came out from the detention camp at around 4.15 pm.
Two days ago Malaysiakini reported that the detained assemblyperson was considering giving up his seat due to his frustration of not being able to physically serve his constituents, quoting an unnamed close source.
Contested under the DAP ticket
Manoharan was detained under the ISA on Dec 13, 2007 along with four other top Hindraf leaders.
He then contested under the DAP ticket for the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor while in custody and defeated BN-Gerakan's Ching Su Chen by 7,184 votes.
However, Manoharan will only make the official decision after a meeting with DAP chairperson Karpal Singh on May 19 at the Kamunting Detention Camp.According to the statement read out by Pushpaneela via telephone with Malaysiakini, her husband has “exhausted all avenues” to seek his release and all the efforts have been in vain.
“I have written a letter to former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, three letters to now Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, eight letters to former home minister Syed Hamid Albar, and two letters to Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (to gain my freedom),” said Manoharan.
Apart from that, he added, his applications to attend the state assembly sittings have all been rejected by the Home Ministry.“(Instead), I was forced to apply for leave from the ministry,” he said.
Furthermore, Manoharan also expressed his frustration over the ISA advisory board and its panel members “who have all rejected my pleas for my release”.
“The High Court has dismissed my three habeas corpus application and the Federal Court have dismissed all the three appeals from the High Court.
“So all the efforts (I have made) have been to no avail. I am very disappointed that this had happened despite the 12,699 voters of Kota Alam Shah having voted to show that I have never ever been a threat to national security.
“The home minister defied the voice of the people and the democratic voice of the 12,699 voters,” he said.
Wife: It's only so much I can do
Between being the breadwinner of her family and replacing Manoharan as the state assemblyperson, Pushpaneela, however, conceded that her contributions in the constituency is still unsatisfactory.
Even though she had acted on behalf of her husband for the past 14 months, she said that she still “can’t bring the constituents grievances to the state assembly”.“I can do as much as I can in the constituency, but I cannot attend the state assembly sitting. As a state representative, you need to bring their grievances to the august House but these people have been denied (this),” she said.
Despite the hardest decision that her husband has to make, the mother of four children however said that Manoharan was “in good spirit”.
“But he just feels very guilty ... the people only saw his posters and not him in person. He tried his best to be out (of prison) to serve them ... but he can’t even attend the assembly sitting,” said Puspaneela.
Manoharan's threat to quit has put Najib on the back foot.
The prime minister has lambasted the opposition for forcing by-elections for no good reasons after Penanti assembyperson Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin resigned from his Penang state seat last month.
In this case, Manoharan is arguing that he has compelling and legitimate reasons to quit, unless of course, Najib releases him from ISA detention.
The Kota Alam Shah seat is one of the three seats which falls under the Klang constituency, also held by DAP. It covers Klang town and surrounding areas.
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