Hamid Albar single-handedly destroying Abdullah’s reputation that he is belatedly delivering his reform pledges though more than four years behind time by his refusal to immediately releasing the five Hindraf leaders under ISA detention

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar is single-handedly destroying the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s reputation that he is belatedly delivering his reform pledges though more than four years behind time by his refusal to immediately and unconditionally releasing newly-elected Selangor DAP State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah A. Manoharan and four other Hindraf leaders, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar from Internal Security Act (ISA) detention.

Hamid’s comment on Samy Vellu’s call for the release of the five Hindraf activists could be used against the Home Minister himself. Noting Samy Vellu’s claim that his call was not a “publicity stunt”, Hamid said that was “his right as the leader of the Indian community to fight for the cause” and that “if he was in Samy Vellu’s shoes, he might have done the same thing”.

Clearly, Hamid had done the same thing and was not looking at the ISA detention of the Hindraf 5 afresh in the light of the unmistakable message of the March 8 “political tsunami” in wanting an immediate end to injustices and abuses of power like the arbitrary and unjust ISA detention of the Hindraf 5, but was purely looking at the issue in his capacity as an UMNO leader who must defend his turf in the upcoming UMNO General Assembly, subordinating and sacrificing the Ministerial oath of office to give top priority to national interests as the new Home Minister to steer the country from its past history of human right violations and abuses of power particularly in ISA detentions.

In obstinately refusing to accede to demands for the immediate and unconditional release of the Hindraf 5, even without calling for an instant review of the ISA detention of the Hindraf 5, Hamid is showing utter contempt of the verdict of the Malaysian voters in the March 8 “political tsunami”.

Today is the second meeting of the new Abdullah Cabinet. The question is whether other Ministers, particularly from MIC and MCA, had raised in the Cabinet the issue of the release of the five Hindraf leaders under the ISA as a positive and responsible response to the March 8 “political tsunami” or whether the political culture of subservience and subordination of Barisan Nasional Ministers in the Cabinet has remained unchanged despite the March 8 political tsunami.

* Lim Kit Siang, MP for Ipoh Timor & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman