KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has remained unapologetic over his role in the detention of 106 people in a major crackdown 30 years ago, saying that he would repeat his actions if similar circumstances arose today.
Speaking at a town hall session with youths on Tuesday night, Dr Mahathir said he would have failed in his duties if he had not arrested individuals who posed a threat to national security.
“In the future, if I am told that if I don’t arrest (certain) people (that) they will create problems for this country, that there will be violence, there will be rioting, killing and all that. I would not be doing my duty if I don’t arrest them.
“Under the same situation (today), I will have to arrest them,” he said in reply to a question from an audience member who had asked why Dr Mahathir had allowed Ops Lalang to proceed and whether he would do things differently today.
Present was DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who was detained for two years under the now repealed Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1987.
Dr Mahathir said “only 1,200” people were detained under ISA during his 22-year tenure as prime minister, and that more people were arrested under the same law in his predecessors’ administrations.
“But what I find strange is that no one is angry at them. Instead, I am the one targeted despite arresting the least amount of people under ISA.
“I don’t understand this, because what I did was also done by the (previous prime ministers). Why were they not targeted despite being more ‘fierce’ than I was?” he asked the floor.
Ops Lalang began on Oct 27, 1987, after 19 people were arrested. Within a month, 106 people, including opposition and Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians, academics, social activists and non-governmental organisation leaders, were detained under ISA.
Forty people, including Dr Mahathir's current political allies Kit Siang and his son, 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.
Dr Mahathir has since accepted the blame for Ops Lalang, but stopped short of apologising.
He has consistently maintained that Ops Lalang was a police operation, and he had no choice but to follow their advice.
Dr Mahathir, who was Prime Minister and Home Minister when the mass arrests were made, had signed the detention orders.