Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
announced that the Sedition
Act would not be abolished
and would, instead, be beefed
up with extra provisions. The
new provisions are aimed at
protecting the sanctity of Islam
and criminalising actions that
insult other religions, as well
as taking action against those
who incite Sabah and Sarawak
to leave Malaysia. On the calls
by certain groups, including
the opposition, for the Sedition
Act to be abolished, Ahmad
Martadha said they believed in
absolute freedom of speech as
espoused by Western nations.
TUESDAY, 2 DEC 2014
Sedition Act Will Avert Unwanted
Situations, Say Political Analysts
By Erda Khursyiah Basir
KUALA LUMPUR, (Bernama)
-- The government’s decision
to retain the Sedition Act 1948
is not aimed at repressing the
people’s freedom of expression
but to check the actions of
certain quarters, according to a
political analyst.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Ahmad Martadha
Mohamed, who is dean of the
College of Law, Government and
International Studies at Universiti
Utara Malaysia, said the Act was
essential in maintaining peace
and harmony, considering that
Malaysia has a multi-racial
society.
“The government must have
some control over those who
dispute the status of Islam and
the use of the word Allah by
non-Muslims in this country.
The Sedition Act is also needed
to take action against those who
incite Sabah and Sarawak to
leave Malaysia.
“These miscreants are the ones
who destabilise the nation by
using social media to influence
society and garner help from
outside the country in order to
fulfil their ambitions. Hence, the
importance of retaining the Act
to check the activities of such
people,” he told Bernama.
At the opening of the Umno
general assembly at the Putra
World Trade Centre here on
Thursday, party President
He said in reality even countries
like the United States of America,
United Kingdom, France and
Australia had their own laws
and regulations to take action
against those deemed a threat
to national security. “If the
opposition gets the chance to
rule this country, they too will
have to use the Sedition Act
to ensure the nation remains
stable and free of disruptive
elements,” he said.
On allegations from the
opposition that the Act is only
being used against them,
Ahmad Martadha said in the
past the authorities had to slap
sedition charges on several
opposition party members as
they had deliberately made
provocative statements by
questioning the status of Islam
as the official religion and the
special privileges of the Malays.
“These matters are already
enshrined in the Federal
Constitution. Therefore, any
attempt to question them ought
to be dealt with severely to
safeguard inter-racial harmony
and the status of Islam in this
country,” he said.
and just manner, and without
fear or favour,” he added.
Jayum said in order to discard
the opposition’s perception that
only they were subjected to the
Act, the authorities should carry
out their enforcement duties
in a professional manner. This
Prof Dr Jayum Jawan, who is way, he added, the general
the deputy head of the Political, population would also begin to
Security and International accept the Act.
Affairs Cluster of the National
Council of Professors at the In July 2012, the government
Prime Minister’s Department, had proposed to abolish the
also agreed that Malaysia still Sedition Act 1948 and replace
needed the Sedition Act due it with a new law called the
to the existence of immature National Harmony Act.
people who were driven by
racist sentiments.
The proposed Act sought to
establish a balance between
“Their actions can disrupt the guaranteeing freedom of speech
peace, harmony and stability and coping with the complexities
of our country. Hence, we still posed by Malaysia’s plural
need the Sedition Act, which society.
can be likened to a guardian to However, it was opposed by
prevent ‘children’ from fighting various parties, who urged
with each other.
the government to retain the
Sedition Act to curb actions that
“The Act in its present form is could lead to racial and religious
good enough but the addition of strife.
two more provisions is a positive
move. Anyway, it is important -- BERNAMA
that the Act is enforced in a fair
“If the opposition gets the chance to rule
this country, they too will have to use the
Sedition Act to ensure the nation remains
stable and free of disruptive elements,”