The replacement of the much-maligned Internal Security Act (ISA) with new laws is a clear sign that the "spirit" of the ISA remains intact, said a pro-ISA group.

Gabungan NGO Pembela Negara (Magaran) claims that the government's move to abolish the ISA, as announced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last night, is merely part of a "rebranding" process and not to "discontinue a product from the market".

NONE"The abolition of the ISA is not a success of GMI (anti ISA movement). GMI itself will need to go through rebranding to keep in tune with the new acts that will be announced later," Magaran legal advisor Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz (right) told Malaysiakini today.

Yesterday, Najib announced that the ISA would be abolished and replaced by two new Acts that will "in principle" focus on "preserving peace, harmony of the people and the country", without providing any details.

Khairul ,who described Najib's announcements as "populist", suggested that the new laws be based on the Patriot Act, adopted by the United States' congress in October 2001 - a month after the deadly 9/11 terrorist attacks.

He said the Patriot Act gives American authorities the jurisdiction to deal with targets deemed as threats to national security, even if they are found outside the United States.
"It would be good to follow the Patriot Act in the United States. It allows for a pre-emptive strike if a threat is believed to be present," he said.

Magaran had first grabbed national attention two years ago when they announced that they would organise a pro-ISA rally at the same time and place as an anti-ISA one organised by their opponents, GMI.

However, the turnout for the pro-ISA event was far lower compared with the anti-ISA group's. Both sides did not have police approval for the events.