A DAP lawmaker has urged the Pakatan Harapan presidential council to advise the government to repeal the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, which allows for detention without trial.

Charles Santiago also rued how he is forced to hang his head in shame when quizzed on whether Pakatan Harapan possessed a backbone.

“To the Harapan leadership: do you know what Malaysians are telling me?

“They question as to whether we are spineless, dancing to the tune of a few puppet masters, driving home the point that our administration is in tatters.

“The level of anger in their voice pushes me to hang my head in shame because their questions are legitimate,” he added in a statement this afternoon.

The use of Sosma, according to the Klang MP, was the last straw for a vast majority who are now threatening not to vote for the coalition in the next election.

Charles also expressed disappointment that the calls from several Harapan politicians to repeal the preventive law have fallen on deaf ears.

“Therefore, the only other alternative is to get the presidential council of Harapan to advise the government to repeal Sosma. Or the council's silence will be construed as a sign of weakness.

“We did promise to do so in our election manifesto right? So what is stopping us from keeping our word?” he asked.

However, the government had said that Harapan had only promised to repeal certain provisions in the legislation in its manifesto.

Earlier this month, the police arrested a dozen people, including two DAP assemblypersons, under Sosma over their alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had defended the crackdown, saying the police had legitimate reasons for doing so.

Meanwhile, Charles recalled how Harapan politicians had “screamed until we were blue in the face” when BN used preventive laws to silence dissent in the past.

“Many amongst us were the first to join a protest when cartoonist Zunar’s book was banned.

“And many amongst us fought against the age-old tactics of creating fear using religion to drive deep divisions in an already fragmented society.

“I can keep going but did we only stand up to injustice because we were then the federal opposition?

“Have we lost our voice and together with it our principles just because power has gotten to our heads?” he added.

Charles also pointed out that the excuse of Harapan being a fledgeling government is no longer tenable and urged its leaders to take heed of the people's grouses.

“Get on to the streets and listen to the rage in people’s voices and you will know our time to pussyfoot is up.

“It is now time to do the right thing. And we can start by repealing Sosma,” he added.