PARLIAMENT The anti-Sedition Act petition submitted to Parliament last week has been rejected by speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia due to technical reasons.

Pandikar told the Dewan Rakyat today that some of the 3,005 petitioners did not place their signatures or thumbprints in the petition.

He also said that the issue of whether the Sedition Act should be abolished is being considered by the government, and such petitions should only be related to issues that the government had “overlooked”.

“The government stand has been explained and this issue has been answered,” he said.

The petition urged that the Act be abolished immediately.

Khalid Samad (PAS-Shah Alam) moved for the petition to be at least be allowed to read out in the House, but Pandikar refused.

Pandikar said he did not have an agenda in rejecting the petition and that he was merely following "what was provided in the standing orders."

"For you, you've gotten publicity because of the motion," he said.

Khalid then stood up and said Pandikar's statement was an "ill assumption" against him.

GHAH denied entry

Just outside the House, several petitioners who last week came to Parliament to hand over the petition, turned up to watch Pandikar give his ruling.

A group of Gabungan Hapuskan Akta Hasutan (Ghah) activists were denied entry into the parliament today to hand over a copy of the petition.

The group of activist which included members from Human Rights NGO Suaram, Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) and a group of lawyers from Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) were denied entry after being told that they were not properly attired.

The police on duty did not allow the activists in as they were not properly dressed according to the parliamentary dress code.

The policemen also told the activists that they were afraid of allowing them entry as they might cause a commotion in the parliament.

“What guarantee do you need when we came in peace just to hand over the petition?” Latheefa Koya from LFL quizzed the personnel there.

The commotion which ensued for 15 minutes was finally eased after Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin and Padang Serai MP N Surendran talked to the guards to allow the group to enter.

Meanwhile, PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan said that it was unfair for the speaker to not read the petition.

“The petition has been signed by over 3,000 Malaysians. By not reading it, the speaker is not listening to the voice of Malaysians who have been complaining about the Sedition Act for so long.”

He called for the act to be repealed soon or be replaced with the National Harmony Act.

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