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KUALA LUMPUR – Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin vented his frustrations at government lawmakers who were absent during Wednesday’s bloc vote in Dewan Rakyat aimed at renewing a Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) provision.
The Larut MP expressed his disappointment at several government MPs who he claimed had left the Dewan Rakyat just before the bloc vote was called.
“I was not very happy because some of them were already in the Dewan Rakyat, I can name those who just walked out during the bloc vote. That’s not fair,” he said after attending the 215th Police Day celebrations at the Police Training Centre this morning.
When asked if the lawmakers gave any reason to justify their absence, Hamzah offered a cynical and sarcastic response.
“The reason is they don’t like my face,” he quipped.
Hamzah went on to claim that lawmakers who failed to vote in support of the motion had neglected their responsibilities to safeguard national security and national importance.
The minister also chided the opposition bloc for over-politicising the matter, suggesting their declaration of love towards Malaysia was misguided based on how they voted on Wednesday.
“They are politicising it, that’s why I hope the people are aware of the matter and do not see it as a political issue. They cannot bring forward this issue to say this is a show of power of the opposition.
“Allah wants to show us all that there are groups who do not understand what they mean when they say they love the country; this shows they do not love the country.”
On Wednesday, a motion tabled by Hamzah seeking to renew a provision under Sosma that would have granted authorities the power to detain suspects for 28 days without trial was rejected by Parliament.
Under Sosma, which was created to replace the now-repealed Internal Security Act to deal with serious crimes such as terrorism and organised crime, the government is required to secure parliamentary approval every five years to continue using the provision once its current tenure ends this July 31.
The government lost the bloc vote with 85 lawmakers voting in support, 86 lawmakers voting against.
Interestingly, 49 lawmakers were absent during the bloc vote, some of whom were seen actively debating the motion prior to the vote.
When asked if he would engage the opposition to discuss retabling the motion, Hamzah suggested there was no need to do so.
“The understanding within the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is if we want to table a new law, we have to sit and discuss, ask them what they think is lacking and such.
“But in this case, the law is there, we are not making a new law, we are only seeking to extend.”
When prompted on his next move, Hamzah said he would have to bring the motion to Parliament again to obtain support.
“The question is of regaining the agreement from Parliament and continuing to push for its renewal in July.
“I will utilise all avenues available, and God willing, make sure that Sosma will continue to be enforced after July,” he said. – The Vibes, March 25, 2022
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