By Martin Jalleh

At times, Minister in the Prime Minister Department, Nazri Abdul Aziz, is capable of making very profound statements and at other times he excels in uttering the most pitiful and pathetic!

Below are some of his comments on the continued unjust detention of six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members (taken from the Malaysian Insider and Malaysikini today).

It has been adapted into a conversational form so that the reader can easily detect where and when the Minister’s intellect deserted him.

(NAZ= Nazri Abdul Aziz; MP: Member of the Public)

NAZ: “The six were suspected of reviving Communist ideology which had been banned in Malaysia.”

MP: Till today police have not been able to provide any evidence to prove that they are right in their suspicion which itself is very suspect.

NAZ: “Putrajaya will not tolerate attempts to “deify” the (Communist) ideology.”

MP: The public will not tolerate Putrajaya’s and Umno’s  attempts to “deify” itself and play God.

NAZ: “Even though the Emergency is over, the EO is still in existence, so it’s up to the police!”

MP: Create an “emergency” you mean, so that they can keep on using the EO?

NAZ: “Although the EO was enacted and came into power as a measure to curb communist resurgency in 1948 to 1960, and also for a brief state of emergency following the May 13, 1969 racial riot, it was retained to ensure that such incidents do not recur."

MP: There is still no proof that “such incidents” have occurred. And if we were to follow your logic we must as well retain all the laws of yesterday to prevent the recurrence of past threats!

NAZ: “Communism, though banned in Malaysia, is not dead as seen by some PSM people... Rashid Maidin, it’s still alive.”

MP: Again, you have no evidence of this, none whatsoever. Umno’s tradition of creating imaginary threats and bogeymen which it inherited from the colonial master is still alive!

NAZ: “The PSM detention was wholly a “security” issue”.”

MP: Yes, Umno’s and Putrajaya’s “security”! You fellows have become really very insecure!

NAZ: The police were entitled to use whatever law necessary to ensure the nation’s safety.

MP: “At times we feel safer without the police!”

NAZ: “It’s not wrong for them to take action under the EO and it’s not wrong for them to take action under existing laws.”

MP: Yes, even the police have to follow law and order – Umno’s law and the Minister’s orders!

NAZ: “We don’t tolerate this because... how to explain to soldiers and soldiers’ families they died for nothing?”

MP: How do we explain to the soldiers and soldiers’ families that a desperate and conscienceless Minister made use of their deaths to justify his silly arguments and to ensure that his party would not die!

Our soldiers who have gone before us must be smiling right now for they know that one day the Minister will only drown in his own arguments which hold no water!