~picture: Joshua Chiang~
from The Straits Times dated 3 February 1991:
–
Singapore will seriously consider abolishing the Internal Security Act if Malaysia were to do so, said Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Brigadier-General (Res) Lee made this response to seven Malaysian journalist s in his office recently when asked why the ISA was still needed in Singapore even though the Communist Party of Malaya no longer posed a threat.
He said that if Malaysia did not abolish the same Act, which provides for indefinite detention without trial, it must have its reasons.
In the interview published in the Nanyang Siang Pau, a Malaysian daily and Lianhe Zaobao yesterday, BG Lee said: “Communism may be dead, but it is not the only threat. We must still deal with other groups, like religious extremists – members of a Malay group were arrested under the Act for making preparations to commemorate the May 13th incident.”
The May 13 riots in Malaysia in 1969 started soon after Alliance won a narrow victory in the general elections. A series of bloody clashes broke out between the Chinese and Malay communities, leading to a state of emergency.
He added: “There were also the dissidents and church members involved in a conspiracy to subvert Singapore’s political and social order three years ago; another incident involved Francis Seow being exploited by the US. Had there been no ISA, these cases could never have been exposed. So, it is still better for us to retain the Act.”
In an earlier meeting with the journalists, Law and Home Affairs Minister S. Jayakumar stressed the need to deal with racial and religious extremism, even though there was no threat from communism.
On the detention order on former Barisan Socialis MP Chia Thye Poh, he said that although Mr Chia is restricted to Sentosa, he is allowed to visit mainland Singapore during the day, but must return to the island in the evening.
Asked by Nanyang Siang Pau about the possibility of a complete withdrawal of the detention order, Prof Jayakumar said he did not rule this out. But, he said, even though Mr Chia has been conducting himself well on the island, he is still not willing to disavow communism.
–
KL to scrap ISA – see HERE
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
Haha good one for digging it up. LHL said it in 1991. Now his own words are coming back to haunt him.
Please lah, he only said “will seriously consider abolishing” it, not “will abolish it”.
Why do we need to follow KL in this aspect? Are we part of Malaysia? LHL does not know what is he talking? He does not has a mind of his own. Just a mere follower of Najib. So sad…
the PAP wants to be the *leader* when it comes to paying themselves sky-high salaries, ripping us off with ingenious tactics like the use of ERP to ‘solve’ traffic problems (read: UNSOLVED), but yet is happy to be a follower when it comes to repealing laws. hardly leadership material! so why are we paying them so much for? just get trained monkeys to do whatever other countries are doing.
Coming to the rescue of our beloved PM LHL. You can use the 9/11 incident and the JI as excuses for not abolishing the ISA.
This are real and valid reasons although there are better way than the ISA to deal with it. I’m sure your million dollar minister can think of better excuses than me, who barely earn enough to feed my family.
ISA should be replaced with new anti-terrorism laws.
CLPA should be made permanent.
For a moment, I thought this was recent news… but I don’t think they will abolish the ISA now and replace it with an anti-terrorism act anytime soon.
If one reads what Najib had stated, he’s merely saying that the Act will be amended. No info on what form + MY has other acts that has almost equivalent powers.
It could be just a PR exercise. Don’t get one’s hopes up too much. Wayang is a well-practiced Malaysian political art-form.
Abolishing the ISA meant to abolish the entire network of local intel on threats. ISA should be disbanded but put into a new organization where its purpose is to investigate, gather intel and infiltrate instead of arresting blindly without trail. This way we can still defend ourselves from terrorists and threats from nutcases like Francis Seow.
oh.. and NOT AFFLIATED WITH THE GOVERNMENT would be nice.
aiya ….LHL says also want to believe . U know what his middle name in Hokkien means.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. U really think he wants to give up all this powerful
tool . He only says if Malaysia abolishes then he abolishes ,,,,knowing full well that Najid is just talk and wayang.
So also talk and wayang. I can also say if LHL abolishes ISA …I and my family will vote for PAP forever.
A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.
Winston Churchill
Mark my words!
The world has changed due to the rising information age, globalization and internet.
The traditional command and control model of government even business management does not produce the results – economic competitiveness jobs and social justice as expected.
GE 2011 and PE 2011 have witnessed strong desire on the part of both 60% and 40% for change.
Since LHL has already promised change, let it happen. If we don’t change, we will become a dinasauer.
Singapore will be making a quantum leap towards improving its human rights record if Pinky decides to imitate Malaysia in abolishing the ISA. The ISA has been abused to put away so called communists which recently released archives from the British showed that it was all a big lie. A first world country like Singapore should not be keeping third world laws to repress its political opponents.
dream on TOC and singapore. this will never happen here and dont waste your time floging it. you can give the thoughts a natural burial immediately. three more chaps just detained recently. and the threat remains looming. and what makes you think msia is fully abolishing ISA. of course NOT. so f0rget it.
>>He added: “There were also the dissidents and church members involved in a conspiracy to subvert Singapore’s political and social order three years ago..”
Now we know this is not true. Those arrested in 1987 were not “Marxist conspirators” as bullshited by PAP gov . So can we say they have abused the ISA? Can we say lhl had lied ?
if america has ISA, would 911 have happened?
1991: LHL thought that Malaysia would never ever abolish ISA…and so he threw in that challenge to the Malaysian journalists. ” Your government first, then SG will follow ”
2011 16 th Sep : Malaysia has just announced that ISA will be scrapped.
There is no shame in following our neighbour’s example if these be good examples.
What a creative way of taiji away the issue to Malaysian side. Singapore is a sovereign nation, there is no reason why we should following what Malaysia gov is doing as we face different situation. I just think it would be more dignifed for Pinky just to shut up on ISA.
I think ISA is good. If it is to fix the opposition, low thia kiang will be inside after winning 5 seats. But I wouldn’t want Singapore to be unsafe. Think of this. What laws are there to detain mas selamat for an infinite period? You think you let him out, he won’t plot to kill singaporeans? Wake up
LHL will never repeal ISA- he needs this weapon to consolidate pappies rule to silent political opponents like chia thia poh..Islam terror groups..
In 1991, LHL tried to taichi away the ISA problem to the Malaysians, never in his dreams would he anticipate Najib, the PM there would abolish it 20 years later.
The ISA is just a smokescreen to contain terrorists and religious extremists, it’s here to nab pesky political activists and opposition. Come on, come clean. We respect him more on honesty.
Najib said he would abolish ISA, what’s LHL got to say. We already know what’s he going to say.
So Usha is spot on. Dream on, fellow citizens.
ole dear…this means michaelimpengliang/diediemustsays would be unmployed…
than again vivocity do hav vacancies for jumbuankeepers….
so you TWO abovementioned idiots..you only needs 5 hours sleep… start relocatin and upgrade yourselves to jumbuan inspectors
The reality is that it is a rare (and hard) opportunity to say Yes.
Otherwise, they will not give way to the opposition call here. Unfortunately, face value is still “costly” here! And we just cannot rule by face value in the demoncratic world.
Thus, are we the first world parliament yet. I don’t think so …
THANKS TO TOC FOR PUTTING UP THIS ARTICLE TO REFRESH OUR MEMORY
This is just what I will need to write my email to PM Lee to scrap our ISA law. Before 911, I was against ISA when many like me could see how it was abused to wrongfully arrest 22 Catholic do-gooders for their framed-up “Marxist conspiracy” at a time when the Soviet Union and Mao’s Communists were tearing each other’s apart with such unimagined savagery.
So who in his right mind would want to be a Marxist anymore when Marxists themselves so eloquently proved Marxisim was was so cruel, evil and violent? That it was perhaps the greatest cosmic fraud of the devil foisted on unsuspecting humanity?
But after 911, I had a change of mind and was ever suportive of ISA. Without ISA, it would be very difficult to counter and triumph against islamists who are clearly and perpetually motivated by their venomous religion of islam, to hanker for their deity allah’s false promises of the eternally free sex with voluptuous paradise virgins, if those sex-crazy islamists could succeed to blow themselves up to mass-slaughter even their own innocent Muslim children, women and men to wage their twisted holy wars for their allah.
So if we can retain the power of arrests without trial of terrorists like the JIs, the al-Qaedans, etc, in new legislation, then I am all for the scrapping of ISA. Under this draconian law, politically motivated and unlawful arrests had been made for those with different political thinking different from those in the ruling party when the former posed no threat at all to our social order and harmony.
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ??? DPM or PM ?
Question 16 September 2011
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ??? DPM or PM ?
…………………………………………
hey stupid, did u see this sentence: “from The Straits Times dated 3 February 1991″
ISA saved Spore people from starving in 1960′s! After Op Cold Store, combative strikes were greatly reduced. Then much investments came in to reduce unemployment.
2.If not ISA, u and I may be aborted due to poverty!
Gd one. )))))
Haha, eat that, PAP government! Even the Malaysia that you once loved to ridicule has surpassed Singapore now.
ISA is against the free spirit of every human soul. It must be repealed.
Cheers for Malaysia in terms of this progress in human rights.
Hopefully the current batch of PAP MP will agree to repeal this draconian law. It is in the interest of Singapore.
Stop playing partisan politics, PAP! Start doing what is good for Singapore, not what is beneficial to your own party!
Spy, closed door trail, defended by lawyers.
SPY
ISA is used to deal with spies!Several have been caught.This is a clear n present danger! Kindly go thro
http://www4.mha.gov.sg/data/NewsFiles/997_1008_312_ISA%20Booklet-English.pdf
or just Google ISA booklet
u may think u know ISA!
2. there is closed door trial for detainee.
2.1 Even STimes reporter say ISA is without trial. This is wrong. Read the booklet .
The longer the detention, the approval from higher level is needed. President’s consent is needed for more than 30 days detention.
LAWYER
2.2 Lawyer can help to prepare case.
Remember Francis Seow. Seow was the lawyers for Marxists Conspirators .
Recently, a lawyer surname WONG was detained under ISA related to drugs. He was also represented by lawyer, as reported in STimes.
Dear all, pls go read the book
Beyond the blue gate …
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2241366109073&set=a.2239459061398.2128846.1095682823&type=1
lionnoisy 16 September 2011
2.If not ISA, u and I may be aborted due to poverty!
………………………………………….
is your life so worth living to justify the wrongful destruction of another?
Corrected Version:
THANKS TO TOC FOR PUTTING UP THIS ARTICLE TO REFRESH OUR MEMORY
“….Before 911, I was against ISA when many like me could see how it was abused to wrongfully arrest 22 Catholic do-gooders for their framed-up “Marxist conspiracy” at a time when the Soviet Union and Mao’s Communists were tearing each other’s apart with such unimagined savagery. (But I am not a Catholic)
So who in his right mind would want to be a Marxist anymore when Marxists themselves so eloquently proved Marxism was so cruel, evil and violent? That it was perhaps the greatest cosmic fraud of the devil foisted on unsuspecting humanity?”
BG LEE HL: SINGAPORE WILL “CONSIDER SCRAPPING ISA IF KL DOES SO”—PART 2
ISLAM is good. No doubt about it. But not islam. So after 911, I had a change of mind and was ever supportive of ISA. Without ISA, it would be very difficult to counter and triumph against those wicked islamists who are clearly and perpetually motivated by their venomous religion of islam to hanker for their deity allah’s false promises of the eternally free sex with voluptuous paradise virgins, if those sex-crazy islamists could succeed to blow themselves up to mass-slaughter even their own innocent Muslim children, women and men in their twisted holy wars for their allah.
So if we can retain the power of arrests without trial of terrorists like the JIs, the al-Qaedans, etc, in new legislation (something PM Najib is mulling over), then I am all for the scrapping of ISA. Under this draconian law, politically motivated and unlawful arrests had been made for those with political thinking different from those in the ruling party when the former posed no threat at all to our social order and harmony.
Figures to prove the peace after Op Cold Store.
I do not agree ISA has been purely repressive. It serves it purposes.
After Op Cold Store, Spore was much peaceful in industrial relationship.
Did PAP achieve by repressive on workers after almost all combative union leaders were arrested? U ask your parents and grand parents lah!
I cant say everyone caught deserved the arrest. Neither i would say every one detained under Op Coldstore was innocent!
PROOF
Operation Coldstore on 2 February 1963.
In 1961,410,889 man days lost in strikes.(2)
In 1962, 165,000 man-days were lost in strikes, (1)
Less than 7,000 man-days lost per year from 1968 to 1974 !
note
1 .http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,1705,
SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER GOH CHOK TONG AT THE SINGAPORE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS LUNCH ON WEDNESDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 2002
2.THE PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING PROCESS IN SINGAPORE Jon S.T. …
sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/50/5000223.pdf
quote” The number of strikes was reduced from 116 strikes in 1961 to 7 strikes between 1968 to
1971 Similarly, the number of man-days lost significantly declined from 410,889 man days in 1961 to
less than 7,000 man-days lost per year from 1968 to 1974 See ibid, p 14 …quote/
google Singapore man days lost in strikes in 60′s
lionnoisy 16 September 2011
I do not agree ISA has been purely repressive. It serves it purposes.
……………………………………
fair enough. maybe the problem is not with the ISA, but with the govt in power that abuses the ISA. so by all means, keep the ISA but vote the oppressive PAP out.
There appears to be some disagreement about whether the detention of Marxist conspirators in the late 1980s was justified. I am not familiar with the facts of that case and cannot comment meaningfully.
Except for that controversial incident (at least in the minds of some), the Singapore govt appears to have avoided abuse of the ISA. The ISA has been used to detain potential terrorists and members of militant groups. And rightly so.
The govt has a legitimate need to be able to detain dangerous people at short notice. There must be some mechanism in the judicial system to allow expeditious detention of certain people if the ISA is to be abolished.
May i remind you that in mid 1960′s , there are about only 2 millions total population in this tiny Spore!
continued from above posting.
Operation Coldstore on 2 February 1963.
In 1961,410,889 man days lost in strikes.(2)
In 1962, 165,000 man-days were lost in strikes, (1)
Less than 7,000 man-days lost per year from 1968 to 1974 !
Further proof that ISA was used correctly to stamp out combative labour unions.
read pages 7 n 8 in
http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACJ922.pdf
A culture has grown around the Internal Security Act with LKY as its chief priest. With this Act he commands respect far beyond what the citizenry is willing to vouchsafe him or anyone else. For who would willingly tolerate the demonic power of an Act which claims the right to reduce anyone to a nonentity, nay of less value than a dog. With this Act he could put any man behind bars and talk to him no more. He could do that to any man or woman he pleases. Because a whole army of sycophants would go to work for him on the ISA, starting from the AG. The value to LKY of such a piece of legislation has been immeasurable. It enabled him to commandeer paid officials of the State to guard his pedestal of power. The culture of apprehension at will has spread all over the sphere of Law to include the judiciary. Too much is built by the ISA to risk the dismantling of the ISA in Singapore.
We should not ask for abolition of ISA in Singapore solely because this looks set to be done in Malaysia.
As elusive pointed out, it may not be in our interest to abolish it if it serves its purpose and if we are confident the govt will not abuse it.
There are people still alive who had suffered under the ISA who have contributed somewhat piecemeal accounts of the acts of the ISA under the instructions of LKY and his henchmen. LKY has produced a number of books about himself, none of which recounts his role in the incarceration of these people. It is as if his doppelganger is at work in the parallel world of the ISD. The former President Nathan is known to be involved in the ISD too, let us see whether his part in the administration of the ISA is recorded in his biography. Even Goh Chok Tong is known to be one of the prime movers in the ISD but I doubt he would be pleased to admit to it. We are dealing here with Jackal and Hyde personalities. It behoves Singaporean to get the truth out into the open now when the most of victims and their executors are still alive. Otherwise no matter the weight of truth, the PAP propaganda machine will weave their version of the Singapore story, which will be the one that omits the ISA in its making. The lives of those spent in our defense will be wasted and derided by the jackals as so much garbage.Let us not be delayed and misled by the PM’s cowardly offer to screp the unscrappable.
Many would use Chia Thye Poh as example to abolish ISA.
I remember WKS said that Chia and other detainee, refused to sign that they would give up armed struggle after release.
Their reasons is,may be among other reasons,that THEY NEVER
HAVE ARMED STRUGGLE OR VIOLENCE INTENTIONS!!
So,how can they give up one thing that they never had!!
If u are chief of ISA,what would u do?
Pl take a good look what were the situations in 1950 to 1980′s.
In SEA.PRC only stopped giving materials and morale supports after Teng Xiu Peng visited Singapore in circa 1978.
CPM boardcasted pro communist ideas,including coded message,from Yunan ,China until early 1980′s.
In 1970′s and 1980′s, Spore discovered few incidents of guns and IED, grenades related to CPM, Communists Party of Malaya , in Spore!
2. If Chia refused to sign based on this armed struggle reason, I think it was not fair to his mom, who has been waiting for his release for so long!
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1153268/1/.html
With job creation slowing down, Singapore’s overall unemployment rate increased to 2.1 per cent in June.
But it’s not all doom and gloom, as observers agree that Singapore’s unemployment rate of 2.1 per cent remains a very healthy figure
All this is provided population is constant.
This is not the case in Singapore. there is continuous importation of population every month.
Taking this truth into account, if unemployment rate rose to 2.1% whilst we continue to import people (who were approved to be imported because they are supposed to be gainfully employed), who are joining the unemployed?
if unemployment is 2% when your population is 4 million, and when your population is imported to become 5 million and unemployment remains at 2%, is that a good thing?
2% of workforce in a 5 million population means the number of unemployed has increased, even though the percentage remains the same.
who has joined the unemployed, if the transient workers who do not have a job are supposed to leave the country? are Singaporean Citizens contributing to unemployment?
The Industrial Arbitration Court established in 1960 played a major role in settling labour-management disputes through binding decisions based on formal hearings and through mediating voluntary agreements.
It is doubtful that the ISA was the main reason for the reduced number of strikes.
You think that the worst use of the ISD is against political opponents? You are wrong. Lately the ISD has a commercial arm or the whole of it is commercialized. If someone engages a ‘top’ law firm, they will give him a package deal. The deal would include the ISD harassing his enemies by hauling them up for interviews, by stopping them at checkpoints, by writing lies into their personal computerized records so that their whole lives are monitored and their career interfered with.Who are the law firms capable of calling upon the ISD? They are the ones who handled the top PAP members’ defamation cases. The ISA is not irrelevant, it is fatal to our civic life. Communists, Marxists and Muslim terrorists exist by turns for the ISD to use. That they also prey on the ordinary citizen is little known. This is a personal experience.
One time when I called up a number given to me by the ISD in case I am harassed, the voice in the phone told me arrogantly that he is not my Talisman. I escaped problems with my life unscathed. But will you when your turn comes. Surely some day you will be involved in a little litigation about some non criminal matter and you will be surprised that the ISD comes knocking at your door too. The genie has come out of the bottle to roam the whole landscape of justice system.
Seems like M’sia is getting ahead of S’pore. M’sia has proposed minimum wage and is now talking about replacing ISA with an anti-terrorism law.
Let’s see what excuses LHL would come up with.
Abolish it, dear PM. It is not working as a tool to crush political opponents anymore. Look elsewhere for ways to discourage dissent.
what the xxxx, if KL do so i do… then KL eat xxxx, then i also eat is it, if KL fly kite then i also
Great reminder to our PM of what he had said. I’m waiting to see what other excuses he’ll cook up this time.
our ISA was utilised mainly for singaporean who were considered a rsik to our democratic multi-racial society and against those who were considered potential ‘communists’?
if so,i guess the ISA is not logical in our present day context where countless of true blue CMMIES are so WARMLY WELCOMED onto our shores.
and,not only that,the govt n bosses alike embrace them to the extent of granting thier kids FREE EDUCUTION PLUS LODGING PLUS POCKET MONEY AND TAKING OUR JOBS AND HANDING TO THESE COMMIES.
IF WE ARE TRULY SO AFRAID OF HAVING COMMUNISTS inplanting their cadres here thorugh our own singaporeans,then why are we importing TRUE BLUE COMMIES here at such great enthusiasm?
so,base on this alone,the ISA IS IRRELEVANT.