KUALA LUMPUR – Keeping the Sedition Act 1948 in force is a “slippery slope” to abusing it for other purposes beyond protecting royalty, said legal rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL).
Its director Zaid Malek, in renewing civil society’s calls for a moratorium on the law, said the colonial British-era legislation was “an unjust law in principle and must be repealed”.
“No unjust laws can be made fair, no matter which party is in government, regardless of the reasons.
“The overly wide terms used in the act provides any government of the day with excessive powers to decide what constitutes sedition, which ultimately severely curtails free speech and political freedoms in Malaysia.
“Thus, we reiterate that the government must institute a moratorium on the usage of the Sedition Act and repeal it outright in the next parliamentary session,” Zaid said in a statement.
He also took issue with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s claim that Sanusi was charged yesterday with sedition only because he had allegedly insulted the Selangor sultan.
Zaid pointed out that Sanusi had a second charge over comments regarding the formation of the unity government, which meant that the Sedition Act had been used against the PAS leader for criticising the prime minister.
Zaid said this showed that using the act under the guise of protecting the sanctity of the royal institution is “a slippery slope as the government can extend this same type of argument to other matters, including race or religion”.
Sanusi, 48, was charged in two Selayang sessions courts yesterday with inciting the public over his remarks on the appointment of the Selangor menteri besar and the establishment of the unity government in a political talk last week.
The caretaker Kedah menteri besar has pleaded not guilty to the charges. For both charges, he is alleged to have committed acts that had a seditious tendency by uttering words that have a tendency to raise discontent or disaffection among the subjects of a ruler. – The Vibes, July 19, 2023
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