Press statement on Khalid Ismath 12th October 2015 - Jeyakumar Devaraj (PSM)

Press statement on Khalid Ismath 12th October 2015

It is very disappointing to hear that the Sessions Court in JB refused bail to Khalid Ismath. In our judicial system a person is presumed innocent until a Court of Law finds him or her be guilty of the charges against him. This is after a trial where he is allowed to give his defence – his side of the sequence of events, with the help of legal counsel.

Denying bail to Khalid amounts to a form of punishment /persecution that goes against the principles of justice and fair play. If this denial of bail is not rescinded, Khalid will have to remain remanded in jail until the disposal of his case which, since it involves 11 charges, might take more than a year to dispose of. This is grossly unjust.


Bail should only be disallowed if the police and/or prosecution have good grounds to believe that the accused would be a threat to the public or to public order if he is let out on bail. Another valid reason would be that the accused would attempt to intimidate witnesses. If the above 2 reasons do not exist, then bail should be allowed, and at a reasonable rate.

The law enforcing authorities should also take into cognizance the unintended negative effects of this heavy handed action against Khalid Ismath. We, in Malaysia, are dealing with a situation where a significant section of Muslim youth are being influenced by propaganda by militant Islamic groups such as the ISIS. A harsh and repressive stance on the part of the police, the public prosecutor and the courts will give them an additional reason to choose violence to make their political point as they will have reason to believe that society will not permit them to voice their criticisms through the media.

Young people tend to criticize what they perceive as unjust. This is good for the future of our society. If they go overboard in their criticism, the authorities have a duty to reprimand and preferably, counsel them. Such reprimand should be measured and balanced by a sense of fair play.

I urge the authorities to immediately reconsider their denial of bail for Khalid Ismath, and to review their manner of dealing with dissent.

Jeyakumar Devaraj (PSM)
Member of Parliament for Sg Siput