PETALING JAYA, August 12: Crime incidents in many countries in the world are controlled despite not practicing detention without trial like the Emergency Ordinance (EO), said Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said that the Home Affairs Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, needs to find a way together with all parties to address the problem of serious crimes, and not use their failure to address serious crimes as justification to allow for brutal laws like the EO.
“Many countries without the EO can control crime. The issue is not the law. There are enough laws. If arrested for murder, the punishment is execution, if arrested for drug trafficking, the punishment is the death penalty. What more laws are needed? The law wanted is to allow for arrest, without the need for lawyers or a trial.
“That is if it happens to other people’s children, what if it is your children or your family?” he said at a press conference at the PKR headquarters today, adding that Pakatan Rakyat always supports the firmness of the police in combating crime.
Anwar also urged the Home Affairs Ministry to call representatives from all parties to discuss with the Inspector General of the Police to hear views to help solve the problem of serious crimes.
He said that trivial issues involving politics should be set aside in national interest and that the government should not relate the abolition of the EO as the cause of rampant crimes.
He also reminded all parties that serious crimes still did occur when the EO, or even the Internal Security Act (ISA) was still in action.
“The issue when the ISA and EO was not yet repealed, those charged with involvement in crime are arrested without a trial.
“The police also needs to be more focused on crime fighting rather than spying on politicians, especially from Pakatan Rakyat, with the involvement of the Special Branch (SB),” he said.