How is it Malaysian laws meant to protect national security failed to nab rogue Malaysian university lecturer Dr Azahari Husin before he began his terrorist ways?

This is what DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng wants to know. He pointed out that the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and the University and University Colleges Act (Uuca) were all in existence when Azahari was still a lecturer in Malaysia.

Lim argued that if these laws were effective, Azahari would not have acquired bomb-making skills nor would he had been appointed a lecturer at a public university.

"Such supposedly preventive security laws have not stopped Malaysia from having the infamous and dubious distinction of breeding the most wanted man in Asia," said Lim

"We may, however, be not so fortunate next time if the police continue to rely on laws instead of police work and investigations to catch terrorists," warned Lim.

Laws abused

He pointed out that these laws were more often used to persecute dissidents against the ruling party in the name of protecting national security.

"That is why such preventive security laws such as the ISA, OSA and UUCA should be abolished to prevent its abuse against innocent Malaysians whilst allowing the really wanted ones to escape," he said in a statement.

Azahari, suspected of involvement with regional terrorist groups, was gunned down yesterday in East Java by the Indonesian police after a fierce shootout.

The former Universiti Teknologi Malaysia lecturer was highly wanted in connection to a string of bombing attacks throughout Indonesia.