Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has praised Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala on his opposition to the use of the Sedition Act against academics.

However, he lamented that Idris did not take an equally courageous stand against the ongoing sedition blitz, which has seen numerous Pakatan Rakyat politicians being hauled up.

Nevertheless, he praised the minister for being the lone courageous voice in the cabinet to speak out on the issue.

Lim also wondered if Idris would be prepared to push the envelope further.

"In national interest, is Idris prepared to take the lead for the charge in cabinet on Wednesday to end the reign of 'white terror' intensified in the past month through the undemocratic, repressive and indiscriminate use of the colonial sedition law?" he asked.

Training his guns on other ministers, the Gelang Patah MP asked if they had the gumption to make a similar stand.

"What about the other ministers?" he questioned.

"Are they all craven and cowardly who dare not speak out against the sedition dragnet against virtually all who are not on the side of the powers-that-be and to strike fear among the citizenry that they will have to pay a heavy price if they stand up for justice and fair play," he added.

Urging the ministers to make a stand, Lim said the sedition dragnet runs foul of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's promise to make Malaysia the "best democracy in the world".

In a Twitter post, Idris had stressed on the importance of academic freedom and criticised the use of the Sedition Act against law professor Azmi Sharom.

Stressing that Malaysia must continue to pursue moderation, the minister said: "Constructive criticism and dissent should be allowed, as long as it does not create serious fault in the social fabric of our society."

Azmi was charged with sedition with regards to his views on the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis, which were published in a recent news report.