“Get on to the streets and listen to the rage in people’s voices and you will know our time to pussyfoot is up,” he said in a statement.

The Klang MP, one of the more vocal DAP leaders who have condemned the police’s recent use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act on a dozen people accused of links with the Tamil Tigers, said the PH Presidential Council must advise the government to repeal Sosma.

He said the people now view the council’s silence as a sign of weakness.

He added that PH’s failure to fulfill its election promise to repeal the law is the last straw for Malaysians who voted the coalition into power last year.

“We did promise to do so in our election manifesto right? So what’s stopping us from keeping our word?

“Many among us screamed until we were blue in the face when Umno used preventive laws to keep a lid on dissent,” said Santiago.

He said while some ruling MPs have voiced out against the use of Sosma, their voices were ignored.

“The level of anger in their voice pushes me to hang my head in shame because their questions are legitimate,” said Santiago.

Meanwhile, Santiago’s colleague, Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto said she is not celebrating Deepavali this Sunday in solidarity with the 12 people detained under Sosma.

“As the families of the 12 detainees will not be celebrating Deepavali as well, I stand together with them as a sign of solidarity and support with our two DAP state assemblymen P Gunasekaren and G Saminathan, along with the other Sosma detainees who are still held in detention in this most difficult time, until they are all released,” she said, referring to the DAP assemblymen from Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.