Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) said Sosma should not be used as those arrested were not terrorists.

“I am surprised that the government, which once fought tooth and nail against Sosma while in opposition, is now using Sosma,” he said when debating about the GISBH issue in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Hassan Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang) said the use of Sosma undermines the government’s reform agenda.

“Individuals should be held accountable based on the actual crimes they have committed,” he said.

“If there are legitimate cases of child abuse or sexual assault, then let justice take its course. To use Sosma (in this manner) is not right.”

Both Hassan and Takiyuddin called for a clear explanation from home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail regarding the rationale for using Sosma in these detentions.

A total of 58 individuals linked to GISBH are currently held under Sosma. They include the 15 officials and the company’s CEO who were rearrested under the same Act last week.

Maria Chin Abdullah, a former Sosma detainee herself, previously urged the police against using the controversial Act as it does not guarantee justice for the accused.

The former Petaling Jaya MP said there were other provisions under the Criminal Procedure Code that the police could use to investigate GISBH, without needing to use Sosma.

GISBH and its activities have come under scrutiny after police raided 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan which authorities had linked to the firm.

Since then, 415 individuals have been arrested, and 625 victims, aged between two months and 28 years, were rescued. Among them, 13 victims are believed to have been sodomised while living at the welfare homes.