Legal eagles have expressed disappointment with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's alleged lack of commitment to a moratorium on the Sedition Act 1948 pending its repeal.

Lawyers for Liberty executive director Latheefa Koya said an immediate moratorium is the least that the Pakatan Harapan government could do to fulfil a promise it made in its election manifesto.

"We are disappointed. A commitment has been made to abolish the act in the Harapan manifesto. So I don't see why it cannot be done.

"There is no requirement of a two-thirds majority to repeal the act. So there is no need for a long delay.

"At the very least, the prime minister should announce a moratorium on its continued usage by the police," she told Malaysiakini.

Earlier today, Mahathir said the government cannot furnish an exact timeline as to when the Sedition Act would be abolished.

Read more: Gov't can't tell when Sedition Act will be abolished, says Dr M

The prime minister also pointed out that repealing this legislation would be time-consuming, and that police could still invoke the act in the meantime.

Latheefa (photo), however, pointed out that civil society groups have repeatedly called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the archaic law pending its repeal.

"Just because the law is still in the statute book doesn’t mean it has to be used by the police. This is wrong thinking," she stressed.

'Impose a moratorium'

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan (photo) concurred with Mahathir that abolishing the Sedition Act would take time, and could face a challenge at the BN-dominated Dewan Negara.

"But at the same time, the government must come out and say they are against the use of the act despite the fact that it is still binding law.

"That is why civil society has been calling for a moratorium on the act," he added.

'False promise'

Activist and Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism's legal adviser Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, meanwhile, hit out at Mahathir's remarks, claiming it demonstrated that the promise made in Harapan's manifesto to abolish all oppressive laws, including the Sedition Act, is mere rhetoric.

"The absence of commitment to stipulating concrete steps to abolish the Sedition Act is a testament to the government’s disregard for democratic principles which is key to building a just and progressive Malaysia.

"The government could impose a moratorium if they wanted to," she argued.

Fadiah said Mahathir's statement should also serve as a reminder to the people that their freedom should not be taken for granted.

"Freedom is never given, it must be fought for, and we as Malaysians have a duty to collectively continue the struggle for genuine democracy come what may," she stressed.

Separately, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh (photo) said the government should be focusing its efforts on formulating new laws to tackle racial hatred instead of wasting funds and resources enforcing the Sedition Act.

“There is no need for the Sedition Act to remain for the said purpose as the government has already committed to introducing other more effective laws such as the Religious and Racial Hatred Act which is in the pipeline.

“I note various parties have called for a moratorium to be imposed pending the abolishment of the Sedition Act and I welcome the same. However, it must be noted that the eventual abolishment of the Sedition Act ought to be a priority of this government given its blatant abuse, particularly on freedom of speech in the past,” he said.

Ramkarpal’s brother, the Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, had said that he would propose a moratorium on the Sedition Act during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting. 

In the past, Mahathir had defended the need for the Sedition Act, warning that repealing it would lead to chaos.

Without the act, he said, Malaysians would be free to incite hatred, while “extremists” would call for the dismantling of the royal institution.

Last week, the prime minister urged the police to stop arresting those who hurled insults at him.

This followed the arrest of the brother of Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam under the act for sharing a social media post deemed insulting to Mahathir.