Two years on, sedition law replacement still on drawing board, says minister

Malay Mail
by YAP TZU GING AND MELISSA CHI

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — The replacement for the Sedition Act 1948 is still being drafted two years after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak pledged to replace the controversial law with the National Harmony Act, Minister Nancy Shukri said.

The new law is being drafted by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) and members expect to show the bill to the Cabinet before a date set for its presentation in parliament is determined.

“We are still drafting it actually, there are more things to come,” Shukri, the de facto law minister told The Malay Mail Online when contacted yesterday.

The minister in Prime Minister’s Department declined to elaborate over the phone, saying she was currently abroad.

However, NUCC member and PAS MP Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said that aside from content, members were also concerned about the bill’s passage through Parliament.

He added the NUCC will seek public input before the bill goes before the Dewan Rakyat, putting the earliest date by December this year.

The 66-year-old law, which critics denounce as a government tool to silence dissent, continues to be used even today.

In the latest, senior DAP MP Teresa Kok was charged with sedition this week over her satirical video during Chinese New Year.

Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said  Kok’s sedition charge reflected the Najib’s administration’s failure in fulfilling its promises for reform.

“It is hypocritical to go after Teresa Kok for her satirical video. There are other parties like Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), still no action being taken against them,” the DAP lawmaker said, referring to the Islamist group’s controversial statement this week.

Its president, Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, called the Chinese migration in the country a “mistake” that must be “rectified”.

But the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the police were investigating Isma and has pledged stern action against those provoking racial tensions, following widespread uproar.