PETALING JAYA: The families of detainees under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) have been urged to be patient while proposed amendments to the law are being studied.
The call by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh comes in the wake of the ongoing hunger strike by family members of Sosma detainees in Sungai Buloh since Monday.
“I am confident that the recommendations regarding the proposed amendments will be taken up for consideration by the government in the near future,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Ramkarpal said the study was being conducted by the Home Ministry, police and Attorney General’s Chambers. He added that this was part of the ongoing efforts by the government to review improvements suggested for Sosma.
He also urged the roughly 100 family members, mainly wives and children of Sosma detainees, to call off their hunger strike, especially for the sake of the small children who were present at the Sungai Buloh Prison.
On Monday, the family members including about 20 children as young as three years old arrived at about 6am to gather near the prison entrance, carrying banners and placards calling for the authorities to end the inmates’ detention or charge them in court.
Some of the family members said the inmates have been kept in detention for between a year and three years for suspected criminal activities.
On Sunday, the 69 inmates, 34 of whom were being held at Sungai Buloh Prison and the rest at Alor Setar Prison, kicked off a hunger strike in custody before their families followed suit.
Ramkarpal said 12 engagement sessions chaired by him had been held to gain a holistic perspective on Sosma since February. The sessions also involved the detainees and their family members as well as relevant stakeholders.
“The engagement sessions are especially important to understand how Sosma has impacted the daily lives of family members of the detainees.
“The proposed amendments to Sosma will consider the results of the engagement sessions to ensure the improvements are appropriate,” he added.
On May 22, Ramkarpal told the Parliament that the proposed improvements to Sosma, including setting the terms of bail, were expected to be announced soon.
Previously, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had drawn flak from critics, including his peers in Pakatan Harapan such as Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo, when he said there was no immediate need to review Sosma.
Pakatan had heavily criticised Sosma for its draconian provisions when it was the Opposition.
