Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Paul Low has been slammed by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng for defending the Sedition Act, despite the use of the law of late coming under wide attack.

Lim said Low’s transformation from "Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde" was a "cold and calculated act" to retain his privileges as a minister.

"Low is no longer guided by moral impulses and crusading ideals of freedom of speech, but is now focused on the limitation of righteousness, rather than the control of wickedness," Lim (right) said in a statement today.

Low, a former head of Transparency International-Malaysia, said yesterday that he believes there should be certain boundaries for freedom of expression.

However, Low said, the recent prosecution against several individuals in the country under the Sedition Act was necessary to prevent potential chaos in the country.

Lim said Low’s public defence of the Sedition Act showed that he was “worse” than his colleague, Idris Jala, who had spoken out against the Act “but did not dare to raise his (Idris') opposition inside cabinet meetings”.

“Low has changed from a civil society activist to be one who is no different from an Umno or Barisan Nasional politician,” said Lim

Idris ( right ) was the first cabinet minister to openly speak out against the sedition charge against Universiti Malaya law lecturer Azmi Sharom.

“Azmi should not be charged for sedition. Academic freedom is required in pursuit of knowledge," Idris said in a series of Twitter postings two weeks ago.

Continuing his attack on Low, Lim questioned how the minister could be so “blind, unfeeling and irresponsible” so as to not see that the Sedition Act is used as a weapon against those who oppose the BN.

Commenting on the reopening of the investigation against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim under the Act for a speech he made three years ago, Lim said it was obvious how the BN was going all out to end Anwar’s political career.

“Low will now be part of the problem, instead of his promise to be part of the solution,” Lim, who is also the chief minister of Penang, added.

Quit your post, Kulasegaran tells Low

In another statement, DAP's Ipoh Barat parliamentarian said Low should resign from the cabinet for his statement.

"For not being prepared to support the prime minister's promise to repeal the draconian Sedition Act, Low, who has been a big letdown to those who have high expectations of him in upholding the principles of human rights and democracy, should resign from the cabinet," M Kulasegaran ( left ) said today.

Slamming Low as an "apologist", he said the minister had responded to discrepancies highlighted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers by saying that it is unrealistic to expect a defect-free government

And now, he said Low voices objection to ‘absolute freedom’.

"The question is, who has been asking for absolute freedom? What Malaysians are asking for is democratic freedom, not absolute freedom.

"Low must be the most confused minister when he talked about zero defects and absolute freedom. But he must not confuse the people," Kulasegaran added.

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