The Internal Security Act was abolised after years of campaign by rights activists, but Putrajaya now says some of its provisions may be incorporated into a new law to fight terrorism. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 26, 2015.Four years after repealing the Internal Security Act (ISA), Putrajaya said it is considering may incorporate some of the provisions in the draconian law into a new act in the wake of threats of terrorism such as that posed by the Islamic state of Syria and Iraq (Isis).Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told The Malaysian Insider that the new anti-terrorism bill, to be tabled at the next Parliament session in March, was necessary to curb terrorist activities in the country.“The government has promised that the ISA will not be restored, but perhaps after it is vetted, (the new law) will have provisions similar to the ISA," he said.Wan Junaidi said the new law would be divided into different sections, which would include punishment and preventive measures.“We want this new law, because with this new act we can divide it into different areas. There will be an area on punishment, one on prevention, one on rehabilitation, and much more."He said the recent terrorist attacks in Paris served as a lesson for Malaysia and a reminder to the government of the need to be careful in anticipating such violence.“We cannot wait for someone to bomb a building before we arrest him. No one in Malaysia wants that to happen.“Do you want what happened in Paris to occur here? Sometimes, we go on and on about democracy, but we have never asked ourselves how much of a democracy we want."
However, Wan Junaidi (pic, right) declined to elaborate how the new act would be similar to the ISA, adding that the public must wait until the bill is tabled.“At this stage, I cannot elaborate as it is still speculation, even though we in the home ministry know to what extent we want it to be (identical to the ISA).Last November, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak proposed that a new law against militancy and terrorism be tabled at the next Parliament session to tackle the dangers posed by Malaysians who return after fighting alongside Isis.In tabling the 19-page White Paper titled "Towards overcoming the threat of Islamic State", Najib said existing anti-terrorism and militancy laws like the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma), Prevention of Crime Act and the Penal Code should be bolstered.De facto law minister Nancy Shukry recently confirmed that the bill would be tabled in March, and assured that freedom of speech would still be guaranteed.Wan Junaidi said his ministry had yet to submit its draft of the bill to the Attorney-General (A-G).“It has yet to reach the stage of the A-G and the committee in the A-G’s Chambers. It has not even been approved at the Cabinet level," he said.He added that the ministry was responsible for the provisions in the new act, as it was responsible for the country’s national security.Najib abolished the ISA in 2011, as part of his promise of political reform after assuming the top office in 2009.The controversial act allowed the police to detain without trial any individual suspected of threatening national security for 60 days, after which a detainee could remain under remand for another two years subject to the home minister's approval.Despite this, in recent months, several Malay pressure groups have called for the act to be restored, saying it was needed to tackle race and religious issues. – January 26, 2015.
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