PSM petition campaign to secure release of EO6
By Athi SHankar, FMT
GEORGE TOWN: A group of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) local leaders, members and supporters held an hour long petition campaign here on Sunday evening to secure the release of its six activists from the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance (EO) 1969.
Led by PSM’s central committee member and Bayan Baru branch secretary Soh Sock Hwa, the group held public talks, a signature campaign and a brief candlelight vigil at the Esplanade Speaker’s Square from 6.30pm.
They also held up a banner calling on the government to release the six and distributed leaflets on PSM statements on the EO detention.
The petition campaign was a coordinated effort of Soh’s branch and Penang chapter of human rights NGO, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).
It was part of PSM nationwide campaign to garner public support to secure the release of the six, including Sungai Siput Member of Parliament Dr D Micheal Jeyakumar.
Jeyakumar is the first MP to be detained for 60 days without trial under EO.
The other five are party national deputy chairman M Saraswathy, CC members Choo Chon Kai and M Sugumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan and national Youth chief R Sarathbabu.
They are aged between 56 and 26.
At the campaign, Soh, Suaram local coordinator Ong Jing Cheng and Jeyakumar’s sister Prema explained to some 50 people that the detention of the six was unjust, unfair and against the rule of law.
They called on the public to support the petition campaign to secure their release.
They explained that the six were made scapegoats in the Barisan Nasional federal government anti-Bersih drive.
Soh, 29, alleged that the Umno-led Putrajaya administration intended to scare off Malaysians from Bersih 2.0 rally last July 9 by detaining the six under the EO.
“EO is to hoodwink the people. The authorities dare not admit ISA detention,” claimed Soh.
She was among the 30 PSM leaders and members detained on Saturday evening June 25 at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in the North-South Expressway.
She was charged together with 22 others in Butterworth Sessions Court on July 4 with allegedly being in possession of 600 photocopies of Bersih pamphlets and subversive documents.
The charges were under Societies Act and Internal Security Act.
