A day before planned ISA-related protests, police have set up roadblocks on major roads leading to Kuala Lumpur. - Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak today urged organisers of tomorrow's anti-ISA rally to give their views on how the act should be improved instead of holding protests.
“The government has decided and I have announced when I took over the leadership that ISA will be amended,” the prime minister told a press conference after chairing an Umno supreme council meeting here.
In April, after he was sworn in as the prime minister, Najib in a televised address promised to amend the act that allows for detention without trial.
“Give suggestions, views, on how this law can be improved, and in the process there is no need to demonstrate,” said Najib when asked about the anti-ISA rally.
“It should not be politicised ... most importantly, we can amend the law to be consistent with current needs,” he added.
Najib said it is up to the police to handle the protesters tomorrow.
The rally is organised by anti-ISA group, GMI, which plans to gather at the Sogo shopping centre, the national mosque and near Masjid Jamek at 2pm tomorrow before marching to Istana Negara to hand over a memorandum to the King.
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Awang, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are expected to lead the protest.
PAS had instructed its members to attend the rally, and the party expected to be able to mobilise at least 50,000 people.
A pro-ISA rally will also take place at the same time tomorrow and will be led by independent Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who stood on a PAS ticket.
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