Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has not ruled out enacting a new law which allows for detention without trial similar to the Emergency Ordinance (EO) abolished in 2011.

However, he said various views would be considered first.

According to Bernama , he added that the discussions would refer to the view of the police that the proposed new law could curb crime.

Najib said there were concerned groups that wanted preventive detention to be allowed while others disagreed, "but what is important in any law is balance between protecting the rights of individuals and protecting the rights of society".

"It must also be ensured that there is no abuse of power by any quarters. We will discuss all these," he told a news conference at his office today.

The prime minister said besides getting views from the police and attorney-general, the government would also consider the views of concerned parties like the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and the Bar Council.

 

Earlier this month, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly said that he was currently discussing with Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail on the draft of a new law and that following the repeal of the EO, more than 2,600 detainees were released from the

Simpang Renggam detention centre but many returned to crime after that.

To a question, the prime minister said: "This is not backtracking, but we want to ensure that the fight against crime is effective and at the same time, we must ensure the freedom of individuals and there is no abuse of power."

On the legal suits against the Election Commission (EC) to declare the 13th General Election (GE13) results as null and void, Najib said the country had laws, so anyone could take action based on the legal process.

On Monday, three opposition parties and five individuals filed their suits against the EC to seek a declaration that the GE13 results for all the 222 parliamentary seats are null and void.

Asked on the possibility of civil servants getting a bonus before the Aidilfitri celebration, Najib said: "Later, we will look into it. There is still time."