Bar Council disgarees with Khalid on Manoharan's swearing-in

Bar Council disgarees with Khalid on Manoharan's swearing-in

Posted by Raja Petra
Sunday, 16 March 2008,MT

The Bar Council disagrees with the Selangor Menteri Besar that there was no urgency for Internal Security Act detainee M. Manoharan to be sworn in as an assemblyman.

“He should be sworn in with the rest of the assemblymen because he is elected by the people. Only then can his name be gazetted as a state assemblyman. Not doing so would further deprive him of his rights, such as his allowances and access to information and documents which can be delivered to him,” said Bar Council vice-president Ragunath Kesavan.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had said that it was not urgent for Manoharan to be sworn in as an assemblyman because he was not being made an executive councillor. Khalid had also said that Manoharan’s detention was a political issue and that the opposition would call for the ISA to be repealed. Manoharan, who is being detained at the Kamunting detention camp, won the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor in the recent polls.

Ragunath said although Manoharan was in detention, he could still serve his constituents by communicating with them through his family members. He can even operate a service centre this way, he said.

Ragunath said it did not make sense for Manoharan to be detained for being a threat to national security when he was elected as the peoples representative.

Manoharan, meanwhile, has expressed his desire to be present for the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Selangor state government. In a press statement issued by his wife, Puspaneela Manoharan, it was stated that Manoharan was also keen on being made an executive council member so that he could serve his constituents effectively, as promised in his election manifesto.

“My husband was saddened when told of a newspaper report stating that his swearing-in could wait and that there was no urgency,” she said. - NST