Haniff throws Sosma issue back into DAP’s lap

(FMT) – Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla, under fire over remarks on the Sosma security law, said that the DAP, as part of the federal government, should be pushing for amendments to the law’s draconian provisions as promised by Pakatan Harapan.

He accused “DAP leaders like P Ramasamy, Lim Kit Siang” of “jumping the gun by claiming that I had said Pakatan has never promised to repeal Sosma”.

DAP legal advisor Ramkarpal Singh also joined the fray today, saying that Haniff’s earlier statement (about Sosma) was a “reflection of his ignorance” of the promises made by PH before it came into power.

Haniff responded to Kit Siang by quoting the promise in Buku Harapan, the PH manifesto for the 2018 general election, which Kit Siang had said earlier today that Haniff should read “before opening (his) mouth”.

Haniff said: “Buku Harapan clearly said that Pakatan only promised to do away with the draconian sections in Sosma such as provisions on bail, the conduct of trial and how evidence was adduced. The book never said Pakatan will abolish entire law of Sosma.”

Sosma is the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, which was recently used against two DAP members, both state assemblymen, and eight others, on charges of supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a now-defunct militant group.

Several DAP leaders had criticised Haniff for saying that DAP leaders should not attack the police investigations into the LTTE case as they would be seen, as part of the ruling coalition, to be meddling with the police.

“I had been saying this for months now that they cannot tell an enforcement agency not to use a law that is still very much alive and in place,” Haniff said.

He said the government could instruct the Attorney-General’s Chambers about drafting the provisions that they wanted to amend.

“The proper avenue to debate about Sosma is at Dewan Rakyat and this (amendment) should have been done one and a half years ago,” Haniff said.