FAC News - Wednesday, April 30, 2003 9:03 AM

Two new books on ISA to be launched tomorrow

Saari Sungib, one of the six Reformasi activists and National Justice Party leaders being detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since April 2001 may be imprisoned in body, but he is certainly free in spirit.

Over the last two years, he has authored half a dozen or so books on his experience under ISA detention. Tomorrow, two more are going to be launched, number six and seven in the series “Suara Dari Kamunting (The Voice from Kamunting)”.

The two books are entitled “Penahanan Tidak Sah & Mala Fide (Illegal Detention & Mala Fide)” and “Malaysia Boleh…SB Lagi Boleh (Malaysia Can…Special Branch Even More So)” – taking a swipe at Malaysia’s “Malaysia Boleh” slogan.

The launch will be held at 3.00pm at the Shah’s Village Hotel in Petaling Jaya tomorrow, 1 May 2003. Haji Sulaiman Abdullah, a leading Reformasi lawyer and one-time Malaysian Bar Council Chairman, and Said Zahari, a writer and ex-detainee, will be delivering their address and book review.

Saari, together with Dr Badrulamin Bahron, Tian Chua, Hishamuddin Rais, Lokman Noor Adam and Ezam Mohd Nor were detained together with four others (who have since been released – two by the High Court on grounds that their detention was illegal and Mala Fide) on what the government alleges were their involvement in a conspiracy to topple the government through militant and violent means. They were also alleged to have conspired to bring in guns, bombs, grenade launches and Molotov Cocktails.

To date, however, no evidence has ever been produced to support this allegation and none have ever been brought before a court and charged for their “crimes”. Ezam is also serving an additional two-year jail sentence under the Official Secrets Act for exposing Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) documents on the corrupt practices of various ministers, past and present – a charge the government never denied.

Their two-year detention is due to expire this June but there is concern that the government may roll-over the detention a further two years on the excuse they “have not reformed or repented yet”, basically in a move to keep them out of the coming general elections expected soon.

A “Free the ISA 6” campaign may be launched to bring their plight to the attention of the International community in the hope the government can be pressured to release them when their detention ends a month from now. The Federal Court has in fact already ruled their detention illegal, unconstitutional and Mala Fide, while the Kamunting Review Board and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) have recommended their release but the government has ignored all this.

Other books in the “Suara Dari Kamunting” series:

1. Suara Dari Kamunting 1
2. Suara Dari Kamunting 2
3. SB oh SB…
4. Shit Too…
5. Affidavit

Other books on ISA detention by ISA detainees, ex-detainees and their families

6. Diara Perjuangan (“Diary of a Struggle” – by Saari’s wife, Aliza Jaafar
7. Dari UIA ke ISA (“From the Islamic International University to the Internal Security Act” – by Dr Badrulamin Bahron, one-time UIA lecturer)
8. From Prince to Prisoner (by Raja Petra Kamarudin, an ex-ISA detainee)
9. All in the game (by Raja Petra Kamarudin)
10. Bidak di Papan Catur (“Pawn on a Chess Board” – Malay translation of “All in the Game”)