A survey to gauge how all 33 Penang State Assembly representatives felt about the Internal Security Act (ISA) arrests saw only four, including one Barisan Nasional (BN) member, bold enough to call for the abolishment of the Act.

The sole BN member was Gerakan's Toh Kin Woon and the three others were opposition members, according to the Penang Anti-ISA Network (Pain) which conducted the survey.

Pain spokesperson Ong Boon Keong said Toh, who is now the State Councillor for Economic Planning, Education and Human Resource Development, was the only one "bold enough to maintain his position" during the survey which kicked off two days ago.

According to Ong, the state assembly person for Cherok To'Kun had said: "I've told the press the same. I won't change my position."

To date, 10 opposition leaders and reformasi activists have been detained in the ISA blitz launched on April 10 for allegedly planning to topple the government through militant means.

Black faces

Ong told malaysiakini that when the survey team approached the politicians outside the state assembly hall, many were reluctant to talk; "some ran off with black faces and some refused to comment".

"It is obvious, this malady is not for a lack of awareness of the ISA but a total subjugation to power. Because of power and money, politicians fear to tell the truth," he added.

According to Ong, four out of 10 MCA state assembly representatives, when questioned, gave tacit calls for the repealing of the Act that allows for detention without trial.

The 'tacit four' were former student activists, said Ong, adding that one of them suggested that the Act should be reviewed objectively and comprehensively by an independent commission.

Umno state assembly representatives, however, voiced their full support for the law, with one of them saying "the government should extend the length of detention", added Ong.

Ong said that Penang Deputy Chief Minister Hilmi Yahya termed the ISA as "something needed for the time being".

CM tightlipped

However, his boss, Dr Koh Tsu Koon who is also Gerakan's vice-president when approached was reported to have said "I have the right not to reply", Ong added.

The survey had also evoked its fair share of anger and diplomacy from the interviewees; State Councillor for Tourism Khee Phaik Cheen, who is also the state assembly person for Bayan Baru, had reacted harshly by saying "Don't put words into my mouth", said Ong.

Meanwhile, Gerakan state assembly person Goh Siew Lee and her MCA counterpart Cheet Tuan agreed that voicing against the ISA must be done through the "party channels", he added.

Ong said Pain will submit a memorandum calling for the Act's abolishment and an assurance for the safety of the ISA detainees to Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) chairperson Musa Hitam in Penang tomorrow.

Pain is a network comprising the four Barisan Alternatif (BA) component parties and four non-non-governmental organisations, namely the Save Ourselves Committee (SOS), Malaysian Local Democratic Initiative, Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) and a group called 'Food not Bombs'.

The ISA detainees are Keadilan leaders Tian Chua and Dr Badrul Amin Baharom; Keadilan Youth leaders Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, N Gobalakrishnan, Abdul Ghani Haroon, Lokman Adam and Saari Sungib; Free Anwar Campaign (freeanwar.com) webmaster Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin; social activist-cum-malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais and human rights activist Badaruddin Ismail.