KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should be held accountable and apologise for his involvement in the detention of 106 people in a major crackdown 30 years ago.
The call was made by Tania Jo Maliamauv, the daughter of the late Irene Fernandez, a well-known activist and advocate.
“There is no such thing as taking responsibility but not apologising. That would be considered insincere,” she told the New Straits Times when contacted today.
Tania's mother was a human rights activist who co-founded the support group for the families of those detained during Op Lalang.
She was responding to Dr Mahathir’s recent statement, in which he said he accepted the blame for Op Lalang but stopped short of apologising.
Dr Mahathir had consistently maintained that Op Lalang was a police operation and that he had no choice but to follow their advice.
“I accept the blame even though the detention was not my decision,” he had said in a blog post on Wednesday.
The former prime minister also expressed regret that some of the detainees were subjected to torture and admitted that it was against the law.
Tania, however, said Dr Mahathir was manipulating the facts and playing the blame game.
“He (Dr Mahathir) cannot pin the blame solely on the police. Who did the police report to? He is accountable as the prime minister then,” said Tania.
Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister and home minister when the mass arrests were made, had signed the detention orders.
Meanwhile, former Op Lalang detainee Irene Xavier said Dr Mahathir’s statement was a “tottering step” in the right direction.
“What does he have to say about the changes in the (Federal) Constitution and subsequent devastation of the judiciary and other organisations like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Election Commission?
“As an opposition figure today, he will be challenged if he stands for election,” said the women’s rights activist and Selangor Prominent Friends of Women member.
Xavier was detained for 355 days, during which she claimed she was beaten, humiliated and mentally abused.
“It is still short of an apology. I forgave the police and Dr Mahathir a long time ago for my own well-being,” she added.
Xavier was one of the 106 people detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) during Op Lalang 30 years ago.
Op Lalang began on Oct 27, 1987, after 19 people were arrested.
Within a month, 106 people, including opposition and Barisan Nasional politicians, academics, social activists and non-governmental organisation leaders, were detained under the now-repealed ISA.
Forty people, including Dr Mahathir’s political allies Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng, were detained for two years. Most detainees were released within 60 days.
Three newspapers — The Star, Sin Chew Daily and the now-defunct Watan — were also suspended.
Meanwhile, Umno information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa said Dr Mahathir took the blame for Op Lalang to appease his allies in Pakatan Harapan.
“This is typical of Dr Mahathir. He knows there is growing resistance against him from within opposition and he is left with no option but to get the much needed support from them (DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara).
“So, Dr Mahathir will do anything in order to get the support from his former detractors,” he told the NST today.
MCA publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said Dr Mahathir was merely “watering down” the past with insincere excuses.
“It’s not about taking the blame. It’s about your sincerity.
“Dr Mahathir must go a step further and prove his sincerity by issuing a public apology to the nation,” Ti said when contacted.