THE government has been urged to abolish the Sedition Act 1948, which Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh described as an outdated colonial-era law that no longer has a place in Malaysia.
Ramkarpal said the Act was among several colonial-era laws that should be given serious consideration following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's remarks on the need to abolish laws inherited from the colonial period.
He said the Sedition Act had continued to draw criticism over its impact on freedom of speech and its alleged use in politically motivated prosecutions.
"I have always maintained that the Sedition Act is an outdated, obsolete and oppressive British colonial legacy that should be abolished.
"Several other countries have taken similar steps, including the United Kingdom, which abolished its sedition law in 2009, and Singapore in 2021," he said in a statement today.
Ramkarpal said one of the main concerns over the Act was that a person's intention was not taken into account when determining whether an offence had been committed.
He said any statement or criticism deemed to have a seditious tendency could be considered seditious regardless of the individual's intention.
"Therefore, a person may genuinely believe that his or her words are well-founded, but that belief is irrelevant if the statement has a seditious tendency as defined under the Act," he said.
Ramkarpal said the Sedition Act had been introduced by the British colonial administration to suppress dissent and protect its interests.
However, he said that nearly seven decades after independence, the government now had an opportunity to undertake meaningful reform by repealing the Act entirely.
"This Act no longer has a place in the country we love, and I urge the government to abolish it in line with Pakatan Harapan's long-standing commitment," he said.
Ramkarpal also proposed a review of other colonial-era or pre-independence laws, including the Evidence Act, Penal Code and Civil Law Act 1956.
He said outdated provisions should be repealed or replaced with laws that took into account contemporary realities, including the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI).
He noted that the Federal Constitution empowers the Federal Court to invalidate or modify pre-independence laws that are inconsistent with the Constitution, but said the power could only be exercised through applications by individuals.
"Without such an application, pre-independence laws will remain in force until they are expressly repealed or amended by Parliament.
"It is therefore time for a comprehensive review of all colonial-era or pre-independence laws for repeal or amendment as part of the government's reform agenda," he said.
The main changes are stylistic rather than substantive — chiefly tightening phrasing and using “colonial-era” consistently. - August 30, 2026
