YOURSAY 'Backpedal is not the right word when Najib doesn’t intend to abolish it...'

Najib backpedals on sedition repeal pledge?

Guns 'n' Roses: Had anybody really seriously believed that Prime Minister Najib Razak would actually repeal the Sedition Act 1948? He has no gut, that’s the root of the problem.

Vijay47: Najib, there you go again, reneging on pledges made is hardly of surprise to us - that has been your hallmark and the spot you can never change.

In typical Umno deception, you let loose the dogs of Perkasa in some charade of demanding the retention of the Sedition Act threatening withdrawing its support of Umno otherwise.

No doubt other organisations of your bidding will be encouraged to adopt similar pro-Sedition Act positions. You will then piously proclaim that in the face of such fervent cries, you cannot disappoint the nation and must accordingly continue with that Act.

Rather than ending our woes by resolving them, you mind not the slings and arrows of outrageous conduct and choose the shameful in your quest to cling on tenuously to power as you display the insolence of office.

No, Najib, that is not the question; you will be by all your sins remembered.

CiViC: Backpedal is not the right word to use, when Najib never had the intention to abolish the sedition law in the first place.

Anonymous_3e86: "Because if we want to change an Act, the new one must be better than the existing one," said Najib.

What does "better" mean for Umno-BN? Does it mean they should still be able to abuse the new Act to put others behind bars?

Peacemaker: The Umno warlords want the Sedition Act to be on the statute books because it is used by Putrajaya to keep the people from speaking the truth.

Sedition laws are intended to strangle freedom of speech and are therefore unconstitutional.

Slumdog: "In this regard, we will hold discussions with all stakeholders," Najib said. This is code for only listening to the Umno divisions, Perkasa, Isma, former strongman Dr Mahathir Mohamad and all the other pro-Umno NGOs and other Umno misfits.

Oh Ya?: Have a referendum and let the people decide. It cannot be decided by Umno's ultras and conservatives who constitute less than 10 percent of the electorate.

Even if the entire BN is behind it, it garnered only 48 percent of the popular votes in GE13 and has no right to impose its views on the majority.

Hadn't Mahathir once said that in a democracy the minority has to follow the majority?

Fair Play : As Confucius said, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step'. But what would happen if after taking the first step, another two steps backwards would be taken? Would the journey ever begin?

Mamakthiew Mamad: Can anyone now trust Najib when it comes to the general elections? Whatever he promises is nothing but empty promises.

RSOH: BN's slogan for next GE should be, "This time, we promise to keep our promise... Promise!"

Sedition Act repeal not final despite PM's pledge

Gerard Lourdesamy: If the government is hell bent on retaining elements of the Sedition Act into the new law, I suggest that seditious tendency be replaced with seditious intention and seditious intention ought to be limited to inciting hatred, disaffection, hostility or ill-will in the context of race, religion, the Malay rulers and the Malay language by reference to Articles 3, 11, 152, 153 and 181 of the Federal Constitution.

Excluded from seditious intention should be comments, opinions, statements and publications that are academic in nature or for the purposes of pointing error in the exercise of discretion or the making of policy or to suggest reform of the constitution, laws, policies and programmes of the government.

Criticism of the government must be excluded from the definition of seditious intention. While criticism of the judiciary or the administration of justice should be dealt with under a Contempt of Court Act instead of sedition.   

Ksn: Najib, I trust that you are briefed about this statement from your DPM (Muhyiddin Yassin). The DPM is responding to Perkasa, Isma and the former chief justice's (Abdul Hamid Mohamad’s) views about the Act.

He could not care less about your publicly announced statement about the Act. Watch your back, Najib.

Tholu: A government that cannot speak with one voice is a government in disarray. And it is just the Umno leaders who have given different statements on the PM's promise to repeal the Sedition Act so far. We haven't had the statements of the other component parties in BN yet.

I also observe that this is not the first time Muhyiddin has openly contradicted the PM's statements and decisions. Remember his “I am a Malay first and a Malaysian second" statement?

Bash: Another confusing statement from those in government. What actually is the government's stand on this law?

If indeed there is intention to repeal the Sedition Act and introduce a Harmony Act, it should get down to business straight away and legislate. This is a priority for the PM instead of spending time travelling the world.

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