Merdeka-1957. Now Let Us Strive for Freedom

Yes we can have some measure of pride that we have survived as a relatively successful nation since independence but let us not be lulled into a false sense of complacency.

We have passed laws like the ISA and the OSA that give so much power to the Executive that the Cabinet rules virtually unchecked as our MPs are just too self-serving.

Maybe they are just scared - after all see what happened to the second most powerful man in the country just a few years ago.

It is possible to be rounded up anytime and subject to harsh treatment under the ISA where torture has been alleged. Don't they realise that under torture, you can be made to confess to anything?

But even under the ISA, some can be given special status.

The OSA may be important for some areas like security and order but there should be a time limit of say 15 years whereby documents are automatically declassified. Let us not live in ignorance but let us correct past misdeeds.

For the legal and constitutional rights that we need to guard, you can read the views of a law professor.


Photo: from Screenshots