KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Isolated from his wife and sons and the rest of the world as he knew it, the only comfort for Karpal Singh in his small, solitary cell was the newspaper used to wrap the nasi lemak brought in during meal times.

He could not care less if it was old news but at least perusing through the old paper brought solace.

However, even that little freedom he enjoyed was immediately snatched away, denying him the comfort of reading for the next 60 days.

To be stripped of one’s power and basic rights as humans is in itself a grave sentence for anyone.

“The guards saw me reading it and they took it away from me. They told me I’m not supposed to be reading anything,” Karpal forlornly recalled to The Malaysian Insider this past week.

The Bukit Gelugor MP was amongst the 106 people, including DAP Parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA)in the 1987 Operasi Lalang.

The self-styled “Tiger of Jelutong”, Karpal said the solitary confinement was unbearable and called it “torture. It’s a horrible thing to do to a person”.

He recalled the guards refused to give him a blade for his shave in the first week of his detention.

“I told them I wanted to shave my beard. They said they will it not give it to me because I might cut my throat. I asked them to give me the blade or I’ll cut their throat,” Karpal chuckled.

The ISA marks the 50th year since the enactment of the act, which provides unlimited power for the Home Minister to order the arrest and detention of anyone deemed as a threat to national security for a period of 60 days.

This can be further extended by the Home Minister.

The ISA has been labelled as archaic and an infringement to basic human rights by civil groups, who are demanding the government abolish it together with the other preventive laws.

Karpal reminisced the anguish of being detained without trial, saying “everyone is born free”.

He even admitted of taking the freedom he enjoyed for granted, until he was detained.

He however fondly recalled the friendship he built with two Malayan Communist Party members.

They were released together with him and after a few years, “one of them sent me an invitation to his wedding”.

Sticking to his cause, Karpal urged Malaysians, especially the younger generation, to join the war against the ISA as it is as much a threat to them as it is to politicians and activists.