Coming up with our own rules? But everyone will see!

I’m very happy to announce that Malaysia is looking at a comprehensive review of the loathsome ISA (Internal Security Act). This piece of legislation allowed for summary detention without trial for anyone deemed to be a threat to the State. The current argument is that the ISA, along with five other associated Acts, will be overhauled in a consistent manner. What that actually means in execution is another matter, although quite a number of prominent jurists have been asking for a wholesale repeal of the ISA, citing it as an outmoded piece of legislation that deserves no consideration in a civilised country. Hear hear!

The people who want to retain the ISA commonly bring up the objection that what the ISA contains is now also contained in the terrorism legislation of all those bastions of Western civilisation, such as the UK and the USA (and Australia). Who is Malaysia, they ask, to throw out the ISA when the countries who accuse the country of heinous human rights abuses have instituted similar laws themselves?

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard variations of this argument. “Why should we do this when morally superior X isn’t?” or, “You think there isn’t A-B-C in America? That we’re the only country that has it? America can’t do anything about their problem!”, thus implying that we shouldn’t do anything about ours either. For a continent that has supposedly shaken off the shackles of colonialism and is fast becoming The Economic SuperRegion Of The World, you’d think that Asians would have moved past the point of constantly comparing themselves to the so-called West. Alas, it isn’t so.

Why should we do “this thing”? How about, because it’s the decent thing to do? How about a bit of independent thinking on how we should be treating our own citizens within the scope of our own country? How about applying laws of decency because they’re fair and decent and not because a Western country has, or hasn’t, instituted them?

I think I’m in danger of having a concave head with all the headpalm-ing I’ve been doing in recent months. Who. The. Hell. Cares. Whether Thailand or South Korea or Pakistan has similar legislation? Do it because it safeguards your citizens. Do it because it increases people’s quality of life. Do it because it’s the fair and humane thing to do. If you say you’re a religious country and thus live to a higher moral code, prove it! But don’t make up excuses that constantly betray a childish comparison to countries that, quite frankly, don’t give a damn about your own citizens. That just tells me you’re trying to have your cake and eat it too. And nobody’s fooled.