Adapted from P Ramasamy.
Sosma : A Betrayal of Reform Promises?
Feb 15
- called for review of Sosma while simultaneously defending its necessity
- gap between promises before coming to power and the current stance
- Reconciling improving Sosma while maintaining it seems contradictory
- call for review more like a PR exercise rather than genuine reform
(OSTB : This is called hunting with the hounds and running with the hares. Or in more relevant language 'playing both sides').
- serious concerns about misuse and abuse of the law
- campaigned on platform of abolishing Sosma now reversed stance
- champion of reform, now defends Sosma
- disingenuous for current political coalition
- which rose to power on promises of reform
- to now justify and defend this law
- no better—perhaps even worse—than predecessors.
P. Ramasamy
Former professor of political economy at UKM and former deputy chief minister of Penang.
OSTB - Say what you want but the circulation of Harakah - the PAS trash sheet - exceeded The Star's circulation during Dr Mahathir. So did the circulation of other 'opposition' news media. Under Dr Mahathir all the pro-opposition online media really flourished, after Dr Mahathir created the Multi Media Super Corridor in the 1990s and made it accessible to everyone. By the early 2010s the mainstream media started dying.
The ISA was never a problem. It was the abuse of the ISA which was the problem. The worst abuse of the ISA was the arrest of YB Theresa Kok in 2008 and her release seven days later. Like 'catch and release' fishing. At that time the Minister in charge was Chrome Dome.
The ISA was abolished in 2012. Pastor Koh was abducted and disappeared in 2017 - five years after the ISA was abolished. Also Amri Che Mat, Pastor Hilmy and his wife Ruth. All disappeared. So even without the ISA people can disappear. If they want to make you disappear they do not need the ISA. So dont blame the ISA.
But look at their behaviour now. Has anything changed? YA Bhg P Ramasamy says they have betrayed the peoples' trust. That they have reneged on what they promised. Why be so surprised? This is their character. This is what they were, what they are and what they will be.
You cannot masuk the kandang kerbau and then complain 'I dont like the mud'. It is you who chose to masuk the kandang kerbau. The dirtier it gets the more the kerbau will like it. That is the nature of the kerbau.
