On the night of Operasi Lalang - Oct 27, 1987 - I was at the PAS headquarters giving a political course to PAS members, when Haji Hassan Syukri, then secretary-general of PAS, requested me to immediately stop my talk.

He informed us that news reports were saying that political leaders from the opposition were being rounded up under the ISA.

All participants were requested to leave for their homes and to await the party's instructions from time to time. I left for my home in Melaka (Batu Berendam).

I reached home past 1 am. As I was about to go to bed, there was a loud bang on my door so I opened the front door. Alas, there were a couple of armed men there with their guns pointed at me.

One tall gentleman introduced himself as from the police and informed me that he was detaining me under the Internal Security Act. I was allowed to wake up my wife and my small kid after which my wife woke up her brother who was staying next door.

He hurriedly came murmuring angry words. None of my neighbours knew or realised that I was being detained as it was already past 2 am.

I was handcuffed and brought to the Melaka police headquarters and pushed into one of the cells. From the five other cells, I heard voices asking for my name. We couldn't see one another. I told them who I was and learnt the others were Lim Guan Eng, two DAP leaders from Melaka and two leaders from a Chinese-based society (sorry, I can't remember their names).

For 60 days I was in that Melaka lock-up. Later, three of us were sent to the Kamunting Detention Camp including Lim Guan Eng and one leader from that Chinese-based society.

I spent eight months in detention before I was released. The release did not come as a surprise to me because all the five charges levied against me were all withdrawn because none of the charges could be categorised as containing elements of ‘acting against the security against the state’.

One charge was that I was alleged to be pro-Iran and against Saudi Arabia. The second charge was that I opposed cooking oil from oil palm as preferring cooking oil derived from soy beans of the US. All the other charges were even more ridiculous and had nothing to do with the security of the country.

This is what I call abuse of power by those in authority.

What actually happened was that I drew up certain political programmes for PAS Melaka and that every Saturday there would be an assembly of all party members not only to discuss party matters but also matters concerning the welfare of members and their families and usrah classes.

All the PAS divisions in Melaka were in a friendly competition to establish at least one branch a week in their respective division. This programme had successfully pushed party members with some divisions managing to establish even more than one branch per week.

Each division was asked to conduct at least one or more political ceramah a week and local and leaders from other states were invited to talk at these ceramah .

PAS Melaka grew steadily to the fright of Rahim Thamby Chik, the then menteri besar and I was targeted to be gotten rid of.

That's the reason for my ISA detention under Operasi Lalang. So folks, this ISA must go. It has been abused by Umno leadership to cling on to their power.