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Harmony Act: Tune changed, but not the music
Published:  Jul 13, 2012 8:51 AM
Updated: 3:12 AM

YOURSAY 'Want to see real improvement? Change the government and if not good, change again after five years instead of after five decades.'

National Harmony Act to replace Sedition Act

your say Kee Thuan Chye: This latest development shows PM Najib Razak to be not only a false democrat but also a make-up artist. No cosmetic changes, please.

The Sedition Act should be repealed, not put into a new wine bottle with a nicer-sounding name. A repressive law by any other name still stinks just as bad.

It is important to note that the part of the Sedition Act that prohibits questioning of language, citizenship, the special position of the Malays and of the natives of Sabah and Sarawak and the sovereignty of the rulers is not part of the original 1948 Act.

It was included in an amendment made in 1971. And it has been used to stifle dissent ever since.

We must oppose the National Harmony Act as we are opposing (still) the Peaceful Assembly Act and the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act. The Bar Council could consider taking to the streets again. The rakyat too.

"Repeal, don't replace" - that should be the rallying cry. PM Najib Razak's so-called political transformation is bullshit.

Abasir: Deja vu! We've been here before. Remember how he introduced the so-called Peaceful Assembly Act following which a well-publicised peaceful assembly of citizens was deliberately trapped, gassed, beaten by gangs of unnamed men in uniform and thugs in mufti?

So be prepared to witness even more blatant abuse with this ‘National Harmony Act' which will criminalise any criticism of the regime while protecting sickos such as the ‘Royal Malay Butt Regiment' and the purveyors of porn in state-run hotels and television.

Under this Act, 'harmony' will be what the regime says it is... nothing else.

Kgen: Knowing Najib, the false democrat, the new Act will be even worse than the old Act. Just like the Peaceful Assembly Act, which is even harsher than the existing Police Act.

Stop fooling the people and respect our intelligence a bit. If the government is sincere, the outdated Sedition Act should be repealed without any Act to replace it.

Anonymous #47094963: What is the use of replacing an Act with another when the root of the problem is the selective interpretation of the Act and selective application of justice on the different races and classes of people?

Anonymous_3e21: "The prime minister also said that the Attorney-General's Chambers could be likened to a compass that showed the direction to ensure that the principles of the supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law were always upheld."

What? With Abdul Gani Patail as the head?

Dr Jag#04496187: Mr PM, the AG is a defective compass gone awry. The compass of the AG has no clue, like you, about the principle of the supremacy of the federal constitution. The compass must be replaced. And soon.

The AG is part of the problem, therefore he cannot be a part of the solution. Why not replace him with some other abler, smarter, more competent Malaysian?

CN Yee: Najib can call the new Act whatever he wants, it will still be used for selective prosecution. It has been so, and will be so until the fundamental fault is amended.

And there is one only one fault line - the gulf between the haves and the have nots, and it is widening by the day.

All the other fault lines, of race and religion and whatnots were not there 50 years ago. They were artificially created and intensified to distract people from the real issue.

It's all empty talk until the wholesale looting of the country by the powers-that-be is stopped to allow a more equitable distribution of wealth among the people.

RAW: A law that serves to protect peace and order is necessary in any society. What is important is that it should be framed in such a way that it is not subject to abuse.

Even if it is properly framed, if separation of powers and checks and balance in the executive, legislature and judiciary of the state do not exist or are weak, the law will always be open to abuse by whoever is in power.

Starr: Let's hope that it's a genuine effort to reform, not a transformation from the old Act. It remains to be seen the repeal is a cosmetic exercise to deceive the public and the replacement law has the same effect as the old Sedition Act.

Clearly, the repeal of old Sedition Act is tantamount to admission of guilt that it has been abused in the past.

Baiyuensheng: The royals are not above criticism if they err. More so, they are heavily involved in businesses and force themselves into business projects at times (from past reports). Where is the checks and balance for them?

Anonymous_3e79: I just don't understand why we cannot question the privilege and question the behaviour of our many sultans.

Harmony cannot be dependent on the status quo of the present establishment that accords near god-like status to the ‘royalties'. If we could publish a code of conduct that they will abide by, then I think as citizens we could know and accept it.

Onyourtoes: I do not want to read the National Harmony Act anymore. I am going to assume it is going to the same, if not more draconian than Seditious Act. Anyone disagree with me? This is called inculcation and I am a fast learner.

If one class exploits or bullies the other class, and if the other class retaliates to right the wrong, that is seditious. How then can  society move forward?

In Malaysia, most of the seditious offences are based on  nincompoop oxymoron logics. The seditious offences are meant to preserve and protect the positions and the vested interests of those who exploit and abuse others.

Fair&Just: I agreed with most of the comments here, it's just another whitewash and replaced with an even worse Act, judging from their past precedents like the ISA and the Peaceful Assembly Act.

Want to see real improvement? Change the government and if not good, change again after five years instead of after five decades.

HYL: What harmony? When BN and Perkasa keep propagating seditious remarks to incite hate and fear among all the races, there is no harmony! This sounds more like a musical comedy act.


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