Pota vital in terror war
THE Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) was passed by Parliament on Monday night. There has been much scepticism over the new law. During the Emergency in Malaya from 1948 to 1960 various measures were undertaken by the colonial masters and the subsequent rulers of independent Malaya.
Among the notable measures was the introduction of the Internal Security Act (ISA) which was primarily passed to act as a deterent and as a powerful tool to prevent terrorism.
Its primary objective was to provide the authorities the power to detain suspected terrorists and their sympathisers before they could carry out any terrorist activity.
It cannot be denied that this was one of the important preventive tools that helped to defeat the Communist Insurgency during the Emergency.
In other words it was specifically enacted to combat terrorism. Period.
Unfortunately, over the years this Act began to be used for other purposes.. There were calls for it to be abolished as it was used as a political weapon, deviating from its original intention.
Accusations were made that it was draconian and outdated.
The opposition used the slogan “Mansuh ISA” as their war cry during the past two general elections. Finally, the Government decided to do away with the ISA
According to Rohan Gunaratna, the author of the best seller Inside
Al-Qaeda, the best way to combat terrorism is by employing “Smart Power”. By this he meant using a combination of soft power as well as hard power when dealing with terrorists.
In an interview at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, he stressed that the repealing of the ISA was a grave mistake.
It was akin to ordering the security forces to arrest terrorists with their hands tied behind their backs.
The important thing is that every effort must be made to prevent terrorists from carrying out their activities, not acting after they had struck. It will be too late.
Malaysia badly needs a preventive weapon to combat the growing menace of terrorism.
Even powerful countries as well as champions of freedom and democracy such as the United States, Great Britain, India as well as our neighbours Singapore and Indonesia have enacted preventive laws to combat terrorism.
Andrew Tan, a noted author on terrorism in South-East Asia and a lecturer at the University of New South Wales has stated that Malaysia’s pragmatic and comprehensive policies have been the contributing factors in preventing terrorism.
Comprehensive here includes the use of the military as well as security measures to prevent terrorism.
Prof Kumar Ramakrishna of Nanyang University states that Malaysia’s experience in dealing with the communist insurgency helped to formulate, improve and implement current policies that have helped to bring about peace and prosperity in South-East Asia which is experiencing several insurgencies.
The proposed Act has several safeguards in comparison to the ISA. It cannot be used at the whims and fancies of the Home Affairs Minister. It will be decided by a panel of five distinguished and experienced people with legal backgrounds.
With the rise and the influence of ISIL and many Malaysians going to Syria and Iraq to learn and carry out terrorist activities, it is imperative that we act swiftly and fairly before we become victims of terrorism.
All it needs today is for a “lone wolf” to carry out a single terrorist act to give us the shock of what terrorists can do.
Malaysians need to act fast and support efforts to fight and prevent terrorism.
The important thing is that every effort must be made to prevent terrorists from carrying out their activities, not acting after they had struck. It will be too late.