Although Hindraf leaders V.Ganabatirau and R. Kengadharan have been released from Internal Security Act detention after 15 months 23 days – 46 hours after the new PM’s announcement – and have returned home to their families in Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya respectively, they remain “unfree Malaysians” with the host of draconian and undemocratic restrictions imposed on their ISA release.
Instead of full and unconditional release from ISA, Ganabatirau and Kengadharan remain unfree, exchanging incarceration within the four walls of the Kamunting Detention Centre for an invisible incarceration without walls but equally repressive and undemocratic in depriving them of their fundamental rights as Malaysian citizens and the human rights entrenched in the Malaysian Constitution.
The undemocratic and draconian conditions for the release of the Hindraf duo denied them human rights and fundamental liberties in substance, time and space, depriving them of the citizenship rights to take part in political and public activities, the human rights of freedoms of speech and expression, as well as requiring them to report regularly to the police as if they are big-time criminals.
Ganabatirau is not allowed to leave Shah Alam and Kengadharan to leave Petaling Jaya, and must be home by 7 pm every night, exchanging detention in Kamunting Detention Centre to a larger geographical space of Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya respectively – the mark of unfreedom and continued incarceration!
These draconian and undemocratic restrictions on the Hindraf duo’s citizenship and human rights make a mockery of the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s claim of greater respect for human rights and democracy in his maiden speech to the nation last Friday. What crooked interpretation of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”!
This is totally unsatisfactory. I call on Najib to immediately remove all draconian restrictions imposed on Ganabatirau and Kengadharan as well as the following:
• Immediate and unconditional release of all other ISA detainees, in particular remaining three Hindraf leaders under the ISA, P. Uthayakumar, DAP Selangor State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah, M. Manoharan and K. Vasantha Kumar; and
• The sacking of Syed Hamid Albar as Home Minister and the lifting of the ban on Hindraf imposed by Hamid last October.
#1 by a-malaysian on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 2:34 pm
There is no more Malaysia but 1Malaysia under the full control of insincere evil 1Najib.
The assumption of the way najib will treat you all under 1Malaysia and “People First, Performance Now” base on the first incident of V. Ganabatirao and R. Kengadharan freedom from the ISA under najib’s premiership. There is Democratic freedom in 1Malaysia but you are not free to talk, you are not free to do this, you are not free to do that. What you want to talk, what you want to do, what you want to eat, you must first get 1Malaysia najib consent.
I do not read any umno/bn own news media, any reading them, please inform whether they include the restrictions in their report.
Malaysia For All
GE 13 – No matter what, we must ensure that racist umno bn do not regain the power like they had for the past fifty one years.
#2 by Malaysian Justice on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 2:36 pm
Why was this not reported in the main stream media!?!?!
Bias controlled media should be boycott to teach them a lesson!
#3 by gofortruth on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 2:40 pm
And what do you call this? BULLY!!!!!
UMNO has not changed!
The rakyat must continue to vote opposition until such bullying mentality is rooted out from the Malayisan political arena. Period!
#4 by SocratesPlato on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 2:57 pm
Yeah, no difference with staying in Kamunting. ‘Fake freedom’. 1Malaysia is worse than Hadhari concept….Najib has been very suspicious since he became PM. we just have 2 b caution. We are unsure what’s next up their sly sleeves.
#5 by DAP man on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 3:21 pm
Najib is like a con-man selling a donkey with a promise it will run like a race horse. Now he is selling 1Malaysia – a gold ointment made from coal.
Only The Star, Utusan, NST, TV3, and BN will believe him.
Najib is no David Copperfield.
Ig he is able to deceive Malaysian in this IT age then, this country deserve to have him as PM.
#6 by OrangRojak on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 3:26 pm
So are their control (or whatever you call them) orders now in the public domain? Is this a sentence, or bail, or parole, or are they still actually detained under ISA, just with slightly different wording? I’d be interested to know what formal mechanism has been employed to restrict their movements.
#7 by taiking on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 4:08 pm
The lips are smiling but the cheeks are stiff. He is better off not freeing the detainees. Then again, we cant expect anything from umno or najib. Drawing our first taste of najibism from this event can it be said that his 1malaysia slogan will eventually boil down to the one malaysia which is owned and controlled by umnoputras?
#8 by taiking on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 4:12 pm
Could he not come out with a more sophisticated con job? Where are all his advisers anyway? One of them is hiding in oxford. Surely he must have more than one advisers. Where are they?
#9 by Jamesy on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 4:14 pm
As I’ve expected, the new PM Najib is not going to give everything for free. My prediction came true with these undemocratic restrictions. It’s like he is under “house arrest”.
#10 by taiking on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 4:20 pm
Does this mean that the ISA said to be now under comprehensive review will eventually be amended to allow home arrest or some other kinds of restriction placed upon one’s freedom?
#11 by Tonberry on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 4:58 pm
It looks like freedom, it sounds like freedom, but it is not freedom…
#12 by ekans on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 5:30 pm
Ganabatirau is not allowed to leave Shah Alam and Kengadharan to leave Petaling Jaya, and must be home by 7 pm every night, exchanging detention in Kamunting Detention Centre to a larger geographical space of Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya respectively – the mark of unfreedom and continued incarceration!
We’ve all heard about the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi imposed by the Myanmar military junta.
Well, in the case of Ganabatirau & Kengadharan, it’s more like an ‘expanded’ house arrest…
#13 by monsterball on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 7:05 pm
How many Malaysians know those ISA guys released are actually….converted to house arrest?
Lets see papers give accurate reports.
Anyway…..that stunt is for the 3 by-elections. I am sure PR will expose those double headed snakes.
#14 by twistedmind on Monday, 6 April 2009 - 10:21 pm
Are we in Malaysia or Myanmar???
#15 by ekans on Tuesday, 7 April 2009 - 12:40 am
Okay. We have now discovered that the Pekan MP’s definition of ‘being released from ISA detention’ is not exactly the same as being as free as the rest of the undetained citizens of this nation…
#16 by VV on Tuesday, 7 April 2009 - 1:03 am
Only in Malaysia is racism and fascism official government policy. Anyone in today’s modern civil society who who looks at the racial origins of his fellow citizens, must be a vile racist tribal primitive being belonging to history. Holding without trial then releasing with conditions – these are the doings of sadistic feudal lords who should be put on the fast lane to the dustbin of history!
#17 by monsterball on Tuesday, 7 April 2009 - 1:09 am
twistedmind….We are worst than Myanmar.
You cannot feel or see it…..because our country is rich.
You and SEE IT…by UMNO’s actions over Malaysians.
That’s why Malaysians must be seriously responsible citizens to vote UMNO out…before lives need to be sacrificed …to free the country.