YOURSAY ‘I support the Treason Act, but it must be applied retrospectively. First to be charged is the one who removed the powers of the royalty in the first place.’

Minister Shafie backs Treason Act proposal

Multi Racial: Politicians are politicians. Most of them never do what they are supposed to do. They will do anything they think can win them some votes.

The Umno election is near and these politicians must be thinking that supporting such a Treason Act may win them some Malay support.

If Umno vice-president Mohd Shafie Apdal feels so strongly about this, where was he when former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad proposed changes to the law to curb the rulers’ powers? Wasn’t that an act of treason?

I am not against anything which is good, but before we implement a new law, let's look at the following:

1) Is this Act more important as compared to massive corruption, which is causing this country to eventually go bankrupt if nothing is done?

2) Without this Act, is the institution of royalty in danger?

3) Are there sufficient Acts to protect the institution of royalty?

Let's do what is right and urgent, and not what is popular. Let's focus on what is of greater importance to Malaysians and Malaysia.

KiaSi-SiamSai: Indeed, we should also make a law that corruption is treason against the country.

Blackknight: Wow, such loyalty to the royal institution from someone who originates from a state that does not have any royalty.

I am sure Shafie had the Umno assembly in mind when he backed the proposal for the Treason Act. I am still waiting for the ex-Court of Appeal judge Mohd Noor Abdullah to be charged for sedition. You can't have one law for Umno supporters and another for the rest of us.

Dood: If the law were evenly applied, many Umno-BN leaders would have been hanged for treason a long time ago.

Geronimo: Good, I support the move of introducing the Treason Act, but it must be applied retrospectively. First to be charged is the person who removed the powers of the royalty in the first place.

Then we charge the person/s who allowed our sovereignty to be breached by allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens without proper vetting.

These are just starters. Fellow Malaysians can provide more instances where Umno had committed treason to the sultans and Agong. Remember, Umno, the blade cuts both ways.

Bamboo: Here’s another Umno big gun posturing for the gallery of Umno delegates. We can always predict how Umno politicians behave according to the 'season'.

For general elections, they would show the moderate stand. During the Umno party election, they would flex their ‘ultra’ muscles to get elected and move up the hierarchy.

Cala: This is the art of abusing power by the powers-that-be. Whether the Umno-led BN regime is indeed the defender of the institution of royalty can be deciphered through a study of history.

First, in the past, one witnessed the erosion of power of the royalty after the constitution was amended, so much so that it has no say in the passage of law. Hence, for the Umno-led BN regime to claim that it is the defender of the institution of royalty is laughable, incredulous and illogical.

Second, the regime’s evil intention can be seen through ‘historical institutionalism’, where the powers-that-be interpret, reinterpret, or outright amend/enact a law in a manner that suits the hidden objective (to curtail the growing influence of the opposition).

As an example, when Dr Mahathir Mohamad favoured Japanese companies, he introduced the ‘Look East Policy’ to justify his actions. Put simply, the regime is neither sincere nor committed as the defender of the institution of royalty.

Raja Chulan: Laws must not be made for the convenience of circumstances or situations. Laws must not also be made by those in power merely to use it as a tool/weapon to pursue and punish their political opponents.

All laws must serve the long-term national interest and its overall agenda. It should never be enacted to serve individuals or political parties for short-term political expediencies.

Why is it that an act suddenly a crime only when another person (not you) is the one who commits it, while a crime becomes non-criminal when you yourself commit it?

Whatsup: This is just another law to prosecute those not supporting the Umno evil regime using the flimsiest of excuse under the guise of protection of the royalty, which we all know is to protect the Umnoputras so that they can continue their crimes against the rakyat, country and, ironically, the royalty.

But the problem is this devil just can't be defeated, since its evil tentacles have spread far and wide, into every nook and cranny, and those who are weak fall easily to the evil path. How did we ever reach this pathetic stage?

The Observer: Yet another ill-conceived plan to muzzle the voices of the people and to keep tyrants in power. Umno has shown itself incapable of reform, it has chosen to remain deformed - in mind, heart and soul.

Abasir: Nazri Abdul Aziz, the tourism minister, makes statements about law and order, while Shafie Apdal, the rural and regional development minister, comments on treason.

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