As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on February 22, 2013
1. We have now abolished the ISA on the grounds that it is not right to detain a person without trial. This is an injustice and a violation of human rights.
2. The opposition is particularly strong on this issue. They are very concerned that we respect human rights and principles of justice. They believe that we should accept the liberal views of the great western civilisations particularly the United States of America.
3. In war of course you can kill anyone you designate as the enemy. The war against terrorism which many countries led by the US is fighting is not a war against any country. It is a war against terrorists.
4. But who are the terrorists. Generally in the eyes of the US they are the Muslims, but specifically the Al Qaeda, led initially by Osama bin Laden. Who determined who is a member of the Al Qaeda? Not Al Qaeda but the CIA and the US Government.
5. If the US says a person is an Al Qaeda terrorist then no one should dispute this identification. The US Government categorisation cannot be questioned in a court of law.
6. Once the US classifies the person to be a terrorist, then he is the enemy and he can be considered as an imminent threat to the US. He is considered as planning to kill Americans. As an imminent threat it is justified to kill him.
7. According to the US the person need not be told of his classification as a terrorist. He need not be charged in a court of law. He can be taken out i.e. executed by the agents of the US.
8. And so today, even as the US condemns detention without trial, it executes just about anyone without trial. It considers executing individuals who do not even know they are classified as terrorist or that they constitute imminent threats to the US as right and proper. The US Government need not explain why the person is a terrorist and what kind of imminent threat he poses the US.
9. In 2011 an American citizen of Yemeni origin was killed with weapons mounted on a drone flying in Yemeni airspace. Many other US citizens have been similarly assassinated using drones. Of course there are any number of foreign citizens who have been assassinated in foreign countries without trial.
10. The Governments of these countries may or may not be informed. Their permission is not needed. They may be deemed unable or unwilling to kill the designated terrorists. Then the US has the right to violate their air space, their sovereignty and send their drones or unmanned aerial vehicles to kill the person concerned. In the process other people, innocent people, will also be killed. That’s too bad. They are collaterals.
11. I wonder what Malaysians who object to detention without trial think of execution without trial. So far, they have not commented on this issue.
12. Maybe they think killing without trial is not as bad as detention without trial. Maybe this is what they would do if they govern this country.
13. I wonder.
