MEDIA STATEMENT
Lawyer Haniff Khatri’s statement that DAP leaders should stop questioning the probe into the Tamil Tigers case is a reflection of his ignorance, whether deliberate or not, of the promises made by Pakatan Harapan before it came into power.
FMT quoted Hanif as saying,
“That is why I made noise… I will not agree to that. There is no compromise to bending of the law, no matter how high a post the leader holds.”
There can be no doubt that a lot of noise must be made against those who bend the rule of law.
But Hanif should make more noise about the failure of the PH government in fulfilling its promise to repealing certain draconian provisions in the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, 2012 (SOSMA) in its election manifesto.
Isn’t it draconian, maybe even dictatorial, for SOSMA to allow for the continued remand of an accused until the end of his appeal process to the Federal Court even after he is acquitted?
One might say that that concerns the appeal process and that the detention of an accused prior to his trial ought not to be questioned.
But if SOSMA can so blatantly abuse the rights of an accused to the point of depriving him his freedom even after acquittal, are we seriously going to suggest that SOSMA in itself can’t be abused from the time of arrest?
SOSMA is draconian.
As a lawyer, Hanif knows this.
DAP leaders such as Lim Kit Siang, P. Ramasamy and myself included, will continue criticising SOSMA.
If PH was so against SOSMA before GE14, I can’t see why it’s not now.
Dated this 20th December, 2019.
RAMKARPAL SINGH
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
BUKIT GELUGOR
CHAIRMAN NATIONAL LEGAL BUREAU
DEMOCRATIC ACTION PARTY