After becoming only the THIRD person to win an election while being held in ISA, Mr Manoharan is now being projected as Deputy CM by HINDRAF.
His wife, Mrs Pushpaneela said their main aim now is to bring him out with the aid of lawyers. However, this is not easy since the power lies in the hand of PM. If the PM thinks that bringing out these guys will further erode BN’s power, he may keep them in there indefinitely. However its quite clear that people are not worried about HINDRAF (other than portrayed by the local media) as compared to petrol prices, rising cost of living and loss of their basic rights.
Manoharan’s wife Pushpaneela at the DAP operation centre before election. (NST)
It is an tremendous effort by Mrs Pushpa, having to be a fort for her children, fight for her husband’s release, campaign like there’s no tomorrow. Wish her all the best.
Hand in hand: New Klang MP Charles Santiago (second from right) and new assemblyman for Pandamaran Ronnie Liu (right) celebrating their win with Pushpaneela and PKR’s Badrul Hisham Abdullah. (The Star)
ISA detainee Manoharan wins seat
SHAH ALAM: DAP’s M. Manoharan, who is also the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) legal adviser, became the third ISA detainee in the country to win in a general election.He won the Kota Alam Shah state seat (carved out of Bandar Klang) by a 7,184-vote majority over incumbent Ching Su Chen of Barisan.
The last time ISA detainees were fielded as candidates was in the 1978 general election. Chan Kok Kit and Chian Heng Kai won in the Sungai Besi and Batu Gajah parliamentary seats respectively. Chan won with a majority of 33,687 votes and Chian 6,281 votes.
Ching said: “I accept the decision if that is what the voters want. Whatever the result is, I know I have done what a people’s representative ought to do after I won in the last general election.” In the 2004 election, Ching defeated Thye Kim Kiong of DAP with a majority of 2,743 votes.
Manoharan’s wife S. Pushpaneela said she was very happy but would not consider it a victory until her husband is released from the Kamunting detention camp. “I thank the people of Kota Alam Shah for voting for Manoharan. This simply shows that people believe in the struggle for justice. “It is only right if he is released from detention so that he can serve the people,” she said. Pushpaneela said the first thing to do today was to share the good news with her husband in the camp.
She said Sungai Pinang state assemblyman Teng Chang Khim would represent Manoharan in handling the constituency’s matters until he is released.
“I’ll talk to Manoharan today to work on the plans for the constituency,” said the mother of four, adding that she would be assisting Teng. Pushpaneela also apologised to the people of Kota Alam Shah for not being able to meet them today as she and her children would be meeting her husband. She added that she would meet them on another day.
Wife to seek freedom for victorious ISA detainee Manoharan
BERNAMA
source
KLANG, SUN:
The wife of election victor M. Manoharan is to seek his immediate release from detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA). S. Pushpaneela said she hoped that DAP chairman and lawyer Karpal Singh would fight for the release of her husband.
Manoharan, 46, had won the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor on a DAP ticket, defeating Ching Su Chen of the Barisan Nasional (BN) by 7,184 votes.
“Since my husband has won the Kota Alam Shah seat, I hope Karpal (Singh) will fight immediately for the release of my husband. I know it will not be an automatic release,” she told reporters here. Manoharan, a lawyer, was detained last December for alleged involvement in the organising of illegal gatherings on Nov 25 last year and making seditious statements against the government.
He is the third ISA detainee to contest on a DAP ticket in a general election. Chan Kok Kit and Chian Heng Khai contested on a DAP ticket in 1978 in Sungai Besi (Selangor) and Batu Gajah (Perak), respectively, when they were under detention, and both won.
Pushpaneela said her husband would not get to know the election result immediately.”There is not much communication between us. I will inform him personally (of the election result) when I visit him at the Kamunting detention camp tomorrow,” said the mother of four.
Pushpaneela said all her efforts during the 13-day election campaign had paid off. “I woke up at 5am daily to make the necessary preparations for the election campaign. Believe me, being a woman it was not an easy task,” she said.