Najib: Look at Gitmo first

KUALA LUMPUR: The United States should cover its own backyard before demanding that other countries give their political prisoners a fair trial, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
“Can they give a fair trial to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay? We’ll only respond if they do so,” the Deputy Prime Minister told a press conference after chairing the 36th Malaysia-Indonesia General Border Committee Meeting (Malindo GBC) yesterday.
He was asked to comment on the US State Department’s demand that Malaysia give Internal Security Act detainees a fair trial.
On Thursday, five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders were arrested under the ISA with two-year detention orders and taken to the Kamunting detention centre.
Asked if another Hindraf leader, P. Waythamoorthy, 41, would be arrested under the ISA, Najib replied: “I don’t know, I am not responsible. Can you address it to the police?”
He said major sections of the people had demanded the Government take sterner action much earlier.
“We have been very patient, we have been quite tolerant. We wanted to see how things develop and give people a chance to conform with the requirements of the law,” he said, adding that enough warning and advice had been given.
“We’ve said that nobody’s above the law, so when the ISA was used, it should not have been a surprise to anyone,” he said.
Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said the decision to use the ISA showed the Government’s determination to safeguard public order and security.
“The people have been waiting for such an action to deal with the case, and after it was taken they are generally in support of it,” he told reporters after launching the ministry’s Quality Day celebration yesterday.
Zainuddin said was ready to counter negative reports about Malaysia.
He said all divisions in his ministry would explain the Government’s actions to the local and foreign media.
Zainuddin, however, believed that negative reports by the western media would not damage the country’s image and turn away tourists and investors as the country had its competitive edge.
“In fact, since the country’s independence, the western media has never supported us.
“Whatever policies we have implemented, such as the New Economic Policy, have been negatively reported by the western media, but still, we have been successful,” he said. – Bernama

tunku : the devil will never look at themselves.good reply from najib.at least our ISA detainees are not tortured etc.they are free to do anything in there, some even get their degree while in there, family members can visit them.US always talk rubbish.