Some above the law

On the late evening of 12 September 2008 in Penang, Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

On that same day RPK and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Seputeh, sweetie sassy Teresa Kok, were also arrested under the same draconian Act.

Tan Hoon Cheng was released the following day but both RPK and sweetie continued to enjoy the kerajaan's nasi kari kosong a bit longer.

Just what threats to Malaysian national security required the UMNO-led government to use the Internal Security Act to hold them under police detention - bearing in mind the ISA was meant to detain communist insurgents.

Were those three communist terrorists?

Tan was detained for reporting that Ahmad Ismail, the UMNO Division Chef for Bukit Bendera, made a racist remark about the Chinese during a ceramah in the Permatang Pauh by-election.

orang cina pendatang

Ahmad Ismail was not detained (of course, he's UMNO) but Tan the reporter was.

Syed Hamid, the Home Minister, explained that Tan was detained, apparently for 'her own good'.

So the UMNO Home Minister did discover a new use for the ISA, to protect innocent people by detaining them, instead of protecting innocent people by detaining terrorists or (okay, misuse ISA lah) individuals who incited others to commit acts of public disorder.

No wonder we have been known for our Boleh-ness.

Incidentally I wonder what Syed Hamid meant by 'for her own good'?

As a kid when my dad gave me a thrashing, my mum explained it was 'for my own good'. So was the detention of Tan equivalent to the thrashing of kaytee for our respective good, or did that 'for her good' mean someone or some people were out to get her for reporting on an UMNO big shot?

If the latter case, who then should have been ISA-ed, not that I'm advocating use of the ISA, but merely showing Syed Hamid's and his police's stupidity and gross misuse of the ISA.

RPK was detained for allegedly inciting Muslims in an article that allegedly ridiculed them, Islam and Prophet Mohammad. 

Apparently RPK's article which did so was titled 'Not all Arabs are descendants of the Prophet' from which I can guess what would have been written, even without reading same.

Poor sassy sweetie Teresa was detained under an allegation which by now everyone knows was sheer 100% grade bullshit, namely, that sweetie was involved in a petition to lower the volume of Masjid Kinrara’s speakers when announcing the azan.

Unfortunately for Botak, Abdul Rahman Nasir, head of the mosque committee, confirmed that sassy sweetie was never involved in such a petition. Note his words 'never involved', not just 'not involved'.

Those were the three threats to national security which necessitated the police to detain, in the eyes of UMNO, 3 dangerous ferocious frightening terrorist-like insurgents. Bull dust galore!

Fast forward to 2013 - lovely and generous peh pow giver, Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa screamed for bibles containing the word Allah to be seized and burned by Muslims. He made the seditious incitement at a Perkasa convention held at UiTM.

That was almost a week ago.

Numerous organizations and individuals have since called the police and Home Ministry to act on such a seditious incitement.

Nothing happened.

Only today we are told by Malaysiakini that Ibrahim Ali [has been] called up by cops in Penang, mind you, just to record his statement.

What? No ISA-ing?

I recall his inciting seditious remarks would be similar to the inciting seditious sms call made by the Mufti of Perak in 2006.

That Mufti was also not ISA-ed but in fact subsequently awarded a Tan Sri title. So dear Ibrahim Ali, there's still hope yet for you to receive a similar honour for your seditious inciting call to Muslims to seize and burn bibles with the Allah word.

What about the authority?

MKINI reported: ... Karpal Singh gave the attorney-general two weeks to act against Ibrahim.

However, Attorney-General Gani Patail had said police must investigate actual incidences of Bible-burning in order for any action to be taken.

Of course, there must be investigation prior to any police action because Ibrahim Ali is Head of an UMNO associate, Perkasa, unlike Tan Hoon Cheng who was a mere reporter from Sin Chew Daily, while RPK was then only an independent blogger/individual and Teresa Kok only a mere Member of Parliament (MP) but one from the DAP.

Dato' Mohd Ariff Sabri (Sakmongkol AK47) has been right that Najib is a weak leader, seeing he dares not take any action against Ibrahim Ali.

I wonder whether Dato' Ariff had implied it's not that Najib doesn't want to haul Ibrahim Ali in for his inflammatory incitement, but it's that Najib takut lah (is scared) to do so.
Why?

I give you three guesses.

Anwar Ibrahim? Wakakaka, but no no no, have a second guess.

Monsterball? No no no, besides we must be respectful to the departed. Okay, one last guess.

??????? wakakaka!