SHAH ALAM, August 6: The desperation to reinstate the Emergency Ordinance (EO) has prompted Umno-BN to use evil tricks even if the people are exposed to danger, said PKR Vice-President, N Surendran.
Referring to firearm murder cases in public locations piling up, he describes Umno-BN’s actions of fishing in murky waters as irresponsible and if purely out of political interests.
“We have big and serious issues involving the safety and lives of people, instead, Umno-BN wants to take the opportunity to reinstate the law for detention without trial.
“Umno-BN does not care for the safety of the people, so much so that they are willing to take advantage of this issue to restore the EO so that it can be used against the opposition,” he said.
Shoot-to-Kill cases which have been occurring frequently lately, whether it involve high profile individuals or the public, has caused people from all walks of life to fear for their safety.
Among the cases that received attention is the attempted murder of the Chairman of MyWatch, R Sri Sanjeevan, followed by the murder of the founder of Arab-Malaysian Bank, Hussain Ahmad Najadi, 7, on 29 July.
Recently, a rubber tapper, Amirul Tajo Nasir, 40, was shot to death in Kampung Telosan, Pasir Puteh in Kelantan early yesterday morning.
In the midst of the situation, the Home Affairs Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi raised the proposal to enact a new law with the excuse of preventing firearm murders.
He reportedly said that about 90 percent of such crimes are carried out by former detainees of the EO before it was repealed to gain support ahead of the 13th General Election.
Surendran said, Pakatan Rakyat consistently maintained the view that crime in this country should be addressed through provisions of existing laws, not through detention without trial.
“The excuse given by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) that crime is difficult to be handled without the EO is a trivial and senseless reason.
“While other countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) are able to deal with crime even without emergency laws such as in Malaysia,” he said.
