ISA repeal: Dr M says cops cuffed him

KUALA LUMPUR: Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, during whose tenure the Internal Security Act (ISA) earned notoriety, has now blamed the police for the security law’s continued existence.

According to Mahathir, who was blamed for masterminding the biggest ISA dragnet in 1987, he had wanted to abolish the law, which was amended to remove the option for judicial review during his term, but the police had stopped him.

The 1989 amendment to the 1960 security law inherited from the British granted the home minister absolute discretion to determine detention time.

“ISA must be invoked when necessary, but when I was the prime minister I wanted to abolish the ISA but the police were against it,” Mahathir told a forum on parliamentary democracy here.

The former premier claimed that he had wanted to reduce the detention period from two years to one but was stalled by the police who “advised” him against it.

He said it was his prerogative to heed the advice given their position as national security advisers.

Previously, Mahathir had denied orchestrating the 1987 Operasi Lalang, which saw more than 100 people being arrested under the ISA. This included several opposition figures such as DAP stalwarts Lim Kit Siang, his son Guan Eng and Karpal Singh.

The former premier said that the police were behind the mass arrests, and his statement was backed by the then inspector-general of police Hanif Omar.

Former IGP: I was responsible

Speaking at the same forum this morning, Hanif admitted that he had stopped Mahathir and former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, a two-time ISA detainee himself, from scrapping the law.

Hanif, who served as police chief for 20 years until 1994, said the issue was first raised by Anwar at a security briefing prior to his retirement from the service.

“Anwar said we should abolish ISA, Dr Mahathir said okay,” he recounted, adding that it was him who pleaded with the two to consider carrying out just a review of the law.

“When he (Mahathir) became the prime minister, (former deputy premier) Musa Hitam told me ‘don’t invoke the ISA, Dr Mahathir will not like it’,” Hanif told the forum.

The former police chief also defended the 1987 crackdown, saying that it was done to avoid another racial riot.

“I gave the briefing together with Rahim Noor,” he said. Rahim was the then Special Branch director who later succeeded Hanif as IGP.

“The Special Branch was of the opinion that the situation was going out of control. If we did not take action, something more serious than May 13, 1969 would have taken place,” he said.

He later claimed responsibility for the entire operation, saying that despite Mahathir’s opposition to the crackdown, it was necessary.

‘Hanif has been consistent’

Meanwhile, one of those detained during the 1987 operation, prominent activist and academic Chandra Muzaffar, also believes that Operasi Lalang was entirely planned by the police.

Addressing the same forum, he said: “Based on my experience, I was transported from Penang to Kuala Lumpur where I met Hanif (Omar). During that meeting, he said it was a police operation and he has been very consistent.”

“The first 60 days of arrest was a police operation,” he added.

The former Universiti Malaya academic was once a fierce critic of Mahathir and staunch ally of Anwar when he was the Parti Keadilan Nasional (now PKR) deputy president in 1999.