COMMENT | Suaram executive director D Sevan, at the protest for the release of the "LTTE 12" is correct when he claimed that the detentions were politically motivated. Well, I would argue that there is more to it than that. This is the reaction of the deep Islamic state to attacks against the always inspiring Zakir Naik by vocal members of the Indian community who have always been the long hanging fruit in the toxic race discourse of this country.

This narrative also conveniently targets the DAP because now the far-right and the Islamic deep state have a shorthand legitimised by the state security apparatus to justify further narratives that the Malay community and Islam are under threat from hostile forces cultivated by homegrown extremists connected politically and thus able to influence policy in this country.

I naively believed that political operatives who had borne the brunt of the immoral state laws under the long Umno watch would endeavour to dismantle the instruments of the fascists at the first opportunity they got. This should be personal for them, right? I mean if the state depriving you of your liberty is not some sort of wake-up call, then what is? At the very least, certain Pakatan Harapan politicos would know what the families of these men are going through, right?..