In my question to the Prime Minister dated 9th June 2014, I asked the Home Minister to state:-
a. Who the people are on the panel of Prevention of Crime Act (PCA), their names and their background
b. How many people had been arrested and for what crime since the PCA was gazetted
c. What was the reason for the arrest of Tengku Arif Bongsu
In his answer to me, the Home Minister stated that (a) the members of the Crime Prevention Board are consists of individuals of high integrity with more than 27 years of experience in the field of security. They are also law practitioners of good credentials.
(b) Since the enforcement of the Prevention of Crime Act (Amendment and Extension) 2013 (PCA) from 2nd April 2014, as many as 132 individuals had been detained. However, the Home Minister suggested not to reveal the details of the ongoing investigations because of the concerns about interfering with the police investigations. The reason for the arrest of Tengku Arif Bongsu was similarly not to be revealed.
This is indeed very worrying. Why is there such total secrecy concerning the panel members of the Prevention of Crime Act? Senator Paul Low openly stated in October 2013 the government may consider putting in personalities that people trust into the three member panel. He offered to appoint Bersih 2.0 leader, S Ambiga. However, she declined the offer straightaway. So now we have three members on the panel that the Malaysian citizens are denied knowledge of their names and their background? Who are these people of high integrity, vast experience and good credentials?
The first thing the government can do to win our trust in the implementation of PCA is to inform us who the esteemed members are on the panel. Why? This is because in a short period of 2 months, 132 individuals had been detained for two years without trial. That equates to approximately 2 individuals every day.
Again the people were denied to know even why and for what crime these people were detained. We are not asking for every individual details. We are only attempting to reassure ourselves that the police are putting the PCA to “appropriate” use. The Home Minister claimed that this would interfere with the police investigations! This is absolutely incredible, if not outrageous. Shouldn’t police investigations be done before people were detained without trial for two years? Rather than lock up first, then investigate at your leisure? Can the Home Minister please enlighten us on the ground of arrest for Tengku Arif Bongsu, whose wife is pregnant with two young children?
If the government is serious about winning the trust of the people over its implementation of PCA, there must be more transparency and accountability in the whole process. Right now, even the “esteemed members” of the PCA panel are shrouded in total secrecy, which does not bode well for the time ahead.