He said that “to these groups, the setting up of a truly Islamic state cannot be achieved through the democratic process and they are willing to kill and draw support from foreign fanatical groups to achieve their objective”.
DAP would support Mahathir in the fight against militant Islamic extremists out to overthrow the elected government by force as we cherish a peaceful and democratic political system but the government must produce proof of such militant Islamic conspiracy and convince Malaysians that this is not pure UMNO politicking against PAS like his baseless and outrageous attacks against the 1999 Suqiu election appeals in his National Day message last year.
Mahathir had then made the completely baseless and unworthy allegations
that Malaysian Chinese who supported the Suqiu Election Appeals were akin
to communists and terrorists like Al-Ma’unah, when it was the Chinese
voters who had been largely responsible for ensuring that the Barisan
Nasional was returned to power with a two-thirds parliamentary majority
in the 1999 general
elections.
If the Prime Minister could abuse his 43rd National Day message last year to make baseless and outrageous allegations against the 1999 Suqiu election appeals, for which he had neither produced any proof nor made any retraction and apology to date, what credibility is to be placed on his latest allegations about militant Islamic extremist groups consorting with “foreign fanatical groups” to topple the elected government by force?
In April, the government had made similar allegations against several Parti Keadilan Nasional and reformasi activists, accusing them of being involved in a militant conspiracy for the violent overthrow of the elected government to justify their detention under the Internal Security Act, but the authorities have not been able to produce any iota of evidence to substantiate these allegations although more than four months have elapsed. The government could not even produce a White Paper to justify the ISA detentions.
In fact, these ISA detainees, including those who are currently detained in the Kamunting Detention Centre, had made sworn affidavits which had been submitted to the Federal Court in the pending habeas corpus appeal by Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Tian Chua, Saari Sungib and Hishammudin Rais declaring that none of them were questioned about the procurement of weapons or explosive materials or the militant conspiracy for the violent overthrow of the elected government during their 60-day ISA interrogations.
As the the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai had publicly alleged in April that the Keadilan leaders and reformasi activists had to be detained under the ISA because they were involved in a militant conspiracy for the overthrow of the elected government, and that they were involved in efforts to obtain explosive material and weapons including bombs, grenade launchers and Molotov cocktails, could the IGP explain why these ISA detainees were never questioned on these issues during their 60-day ISA interrogrations?
It is crystal-clear from the sworn affidavits of the ISA detainees about the nature of their interrogations by Special Branch officers that their ISA detentions were purely politically motivated and had nothing to do with national security, which is a clear abuse and misuse of the ISA and their detention orders should be struck out by the court as unlawful, null and void.
If the government has not been able to produce testimony to substantiate its allegation that the Chinese community which supported 1999 Suqiu Election Appeals are extremists and like the communists and terrorists such as Al-Maunah or the allegation that the Keadilan and reformasi activists detained under the ISA in April were involved in a militant conspiracy for the violent overthrow of the elected government, it should not expect Malaysians to blindly believe its latest allegation of militant Islamic extremist groups consorting with “foreign fanatical groups” for the violent overthrow of the elected government without having to furnish any evidence whatsoever.
It is sad that the Prime Minister’s National Day messages have become a vehicle for political attacks to be made against the Opposition and legitimate dissent, when they should be occasions to forge national unity transcending political differences, race or religion. Who will be the next target of attack in the Prime Minister’s 45th National Day Message next August?
(31/8/2001)