ANTI-ISA RALLY A POLITICAL PLOY - DPM

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- The opposition rally against the Internal
Security Act (ISA) in the federal capital last Saturday, was aimed at provoking
the police into invoking the ISA which allowed for detention without trial,
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Tuesday.

"The police are now handling the matter. They can take whatever action they
see fit (against the organisers of the rally) but some people want to provoke
the police to ensure they are detained under the ISA.

"Then, they can say, 'See, I told you'. The prime minister himself has given
an assurance that the act would be reviewed, and we are in the process of
reviewing it.

"The present government has released many who were detained under the
act. There was no reason for the rally, actually. It was politically motivated,"
he told reporters after chairing the National Inter-Ministerial Committee
Meeting on the Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic here.

He said, since an assurance was already given by the top leader in the
government, there was no need for the opposition to take to the streets of Kuala
Lumpur to champion its cause.

"We need to give a chance for the act to be amended, although it would take
a bit of time. It has only been four months since the prime minister took
office.

"We need to consult all relevant parties for the amendment to be proper. The
opposition just need to be a bit patient.

"The fact that we want to review the act shows that we are responsive to
the wishes of the people. But the opposition is using this to their advantage.
Any demonstration is not going to solve any problem. We have the parliament and
the government is elected by the majority.

"There are various avenues to air grouses but demonstration is certainly not
one of them, especially after the prime minister has assured that the act would
be reviewed," said Muhyiddin.

On another matter, the deputy prime minister said he had received a lawyer's
notice on behalf of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, stating the Opposition leader's
intention to sue Muhyiddin for defamation.

"Yes, I have received the lawyer's letter. I have also directed my lawyers
to take appropriate action. I will not apologise as I was not lying in making
the remark," he said.

Following the anti-ISA rally on Saturday, Muhyiddin had labelled Anwar a
traitor. As a result, Anwar wanted a public apology, failing which Muhyiddin
would be slapped with a legal suit.

Muhyiddin said, "A lot of statements are politically motivated. We need to
safeguard thecountry's peace and stability...that is important."
-- BERNAMA