On 15 September, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak formally announced that his Government would repeal the Internal Security Act in Malaysia. Enacted in 1960, the Internal Security Act was a shared feature between Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore. The repeal will make room for newer counter-terrorist legislation '(to) ensure a greater civil liberty and maintain racial harmony.'
The reaction across the Strait of Johor in Singapore has been interesting. The Straits Times in particular has flagged the repeal not as a story of Malaysian liberalisation but of political desperation by Najib to save his prime ministership and the Government. The intent is to establish the necessity of retaining the Internal Security Act in Singapore.
Within 48 hours of the repeal announcement, however, socio-political bloggers driven by The Online Citizen uncovered the fact that in 1991 Lee Hsien Loong (now Singapore's PM) stated that the government would 'seriously consider' abolishing the ISA if Malaysia did so. Full story
