Student activist Adam Adli Abd Halim was ordered by a Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur today to enter his defence on his sedition charge.

Sessions judge Mat Ghani Abdullah said the prosecution has proven a prima facie case against Adam Adli and there were “elements of sedition” in his speech on May 13 last year.

The trial has been fixed to begin on July 22.

Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Adam Adli said he had expected today’s ruling, because the nature of Sedition Act 1948 is that there is very little to prove.

 

He said there should be more pressure on the government to abolish the Sedition Act and questioned where is the National Harmony Act that is supposed to replace it.

 

“Its (Sedition Act) nature is that it doesn’t take account of the intention, what happens, or its consequences. It does not care.

 

“As long as you have said it and they feel that it is seditious, then they would bring the charges. So there is nothing much to be proven and nothing much to be objected,” he said.

 

'Selective prosecution'

Meanwhile, his lawyer Eric Paulsen reiterated that the charges against Adam Adli is a case of selective prosecution, because others have said worse things before without any repercussions.

 

He cited Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim’s statement yesterday as an example, when he threatened to behead those who insult Islam.

 

“That is more serious, it is a clear case of criminal intimidation. The police should arrest them, but we believe that no action will be taken,” said Paulsen ( right ).

 

Adam Adli is accused of making the seditious statement during a post-elections ceramah at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

 

“We can't wait five years to topple Umno and BN. Five more years, it is 2018, I can't wait until 2018.

 

“In 2013, we shall topple Umno and BN together and boot them out of Putrajaya,” he reportedly said according to the transcript in his charge sheet, before going on to give his IC number and daring anyone to lodge police reports against what he said.