The March For and Against ISA !

Wouldn't it be more interesting if they hold it on 31st August (Independence Day) rather than 1st August?

For more information on ISA, the abbreviation for the draconian law Internal Security Act, one can read this :

CPI Asia : FAQs on ISA

This is a map that I found over the net while searching for information :

Looks like it will be a very big event tomorrow. As usual, whenever such protests happen, police will discourage public to participate, roadblocks will be set in various places in and out of town. The blocks have started even as we speak.

Remember, remember the 10th of November, when the BERSIH yellow wave swept through the streets of KL amidst torrential rain on 10th November 2007?

Perhaps this time around, it will be black (anti) and white (pro).

As far as I can recall, Gerakan Mansuh ISA (anti) had started calling for participation for quite some time. In fact GMI holds annual protests on the ISA matter. I have only heard about Pro-ISA recently. Hmmnnn ...

If there is any truth to the map above, I would say both anti and pro groups will meet somewhere in the middle of the journey.

Who planned to chance upon whom? Whatever that is, I believe everyone should have a chance to voice out.

The biggest opposition party has urged its members to participate, therefore the numbers will be great. I believe human rights activists will be there too.

Somebody said ISA rallies pointless and should not be politicised . I'd say, since only political parties, regardless of which divide, will decide on this matter, the term "politicised" is quite a strange word to apply to this event.

I do not even understand why certain groups are pro-ISA. What is so good about :

1) indefinite imprisonment with periodical internal reviews to release a detainee
2) arrest of any person without the need for trial in certain defined circumstances
3) violation of fundamental human rights
4) having laws of subjective language with terms such as ‘substantial body’, ‘substantial number’, ‘cause to fear’, ‘excite disaffection’, ‘promote feelings of ill-will and hostility’.
5) having potential to abuse the law for certain reasons due to item (4).

I'd ask, "why review? why not totally abolish it?"

It seems that there are more information in jelas.info on the event tomorrow.

My Stand on HINDRAF rally

I read with much enthusiasm about the Hindraf Rally this Sunday (tomorrow) . Meanwhile Malaysiakini reported Three Hindraf leaders arrested for you you-know-what.

These are the details that I have found on the net :
Date: Nov 25, 2007.
Time: 7am to 11am
Place: British High Commission, 185 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur

Map and Transport details kindly provided here)

The intention of the rally is to present a memorandum to the British as well as to rally against marginalisation of the minority Indian community in Malaysia.

There are in fact two views to this rally. I would like to bring atttention to two posts on the question "Shall we rally this time around?"

1) A Nay :
Haris Ibrahim, The People's Parliament -> Why I will not walk this Sunday and why the walk must not proceed.

2) An Aye:
Nat Tan, Jelas.info -> Why I will walk this Sunday

Haris has brought up some valid points saying that the rally is communal/race-based and not national based such as the BERSIH rally. There are also concerns among bloggers and commentators that SOMEBODY would try to create a scene out of this in order to make future rallies for the best interests of the nation unlawful.

Point taken, but I would like to bring to attention some of the points mentioned in Jelas.info :

Point 1:
My conclusion is this: If we were to wait for another mass rally that will take a more mature, universalistic approach to race relations while actually having an impact in calling attention to the horrific living conditions facing Indian Malaysians today, we will wait forever.

Point 2:
Let’s be honest, no other group is going to pull those numbers in defence of minority rights in Malaysia.

Point 3:
So, are we going to walk the talk about multiracialism?

Point 4:
Are we who like to quote Voltaire’s “I may disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it” actually going to do anything to defend the right to assemble?

My stand on the issue is similar to this point (Point 4) brought up by Jelas.info . After all, Hindraf has mentioned that this rally shall be a Peaceful Rally, unless of course some Agent Provocateurs appear out of SOMEBODY's (you-know-who-always-sabotages) command. Hope you catch the drift.

Let Indians voice out.