RPK comes out for ISA talk in London
“We can keep a draconian law like the ISA to serve a higher purpose, which is national security. But if we open the floodgates of ‘the ends justify the means’ then how far can we allow this to go? Are we not using one evil to fight another evil?”
By K Kabilan, Free Malaysia Today
Exiled popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin will be making his first public appearance this Saturday to give a talk in London on his alleged persecution in Malaysia.
In the talk to be organised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group (SIHRG), Raja Petra will be giving an account of his personal experience in campaigning for greater transparency and accountability in Malaysian politics.
FMT spoke to Raja Petra on his first public appearance since he left Malaysia last year and asked him on his decision to come out in the open.
“They (SIHRG) picked me and asked me whether I would be prepared to give a public talk and I agreed,” he told FMT in an email interview.
He quickly added that it was not as though he was hiding from the public ever since he left Malaysia.
“I was always in the open. I walked the streets and attended functions and met many people, Malaysians as well as non-Malaysians. Umno people, ex-ministers included, even came to my house for dinner,” he said, adding that he had been meeting more Barisan Nasional people now than when he was in Malaysia.
He also said one such visitor even asked his permission to give his (Raja Petra’s) phone number to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Is ISA still relevant?
On the talk itself, Raja Petra said he will be talking about the Internal Security Act and his personal experiences during two detentions in 2001 and 2008.
“My message will be about whether the ISA is still relevant and how it has been abused,” he said.
“What is the ISA all about — an anti-terrorism law? — or is it merely a law to stifle dissent and curtail freedom of expression? This is the focus of my talk on May 22.
“People ask me: do I wish to see the ISA repealed and if so, how would Malaysia combat terrorism? Am I not being irresponsible or idealistic?
“My reply is: we have to decide whether we are prepared to accept the concept of ‘the ends justify the means’.
“We can keep a draconian law like the ISA to serve a higher purpose, which is national security. But if we open the floodgates of ‘the ends justify the means’ then how far can we allow this to go? Are we not using one evil to fight another evil?” he asked.
He added that although the ISA is legal law passed by Parliament, “legal does not always make it moral”.
