Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s announcement to retain the Sedition Act without first consulting his cabinet members shows that non-Malay BN component parties are Umno stooges, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

 

He pointed out that Najib in his announcement had said he has consulted Umno leaders, supporters and NGOs, while MIC deputy president Dr S Subramaniam had said that issue has yet to be discussed in the Cabinet.

 

“MIC Deputy President Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam had confirmed the non-Malay BN component parties’ status as political parasites that are Umno’s stooges and sycophants when he admitted that neither MIC nor the Cabinet was consulted prior to Najib’s unilateral announcement.

 

“Despite this humiliation by Najib, or MCA and Gerakan’s earlier call to abolish the Sedition Act, we can expect both MCA and Gerakan leaders to obediently support and comply with Umno to impose even harsher restrictions in the Sedition Act,” Lim ( left ) said in a statement today.

 

Previously, Najib had promised to repeal the Sedition Act and replace it with the National Harmony Act. However, the plan drew opposition from right-wing groups.

 

Yesterday, Najib reversed his position by announcing that the Sedition Act would remain with some new provisions to protect religions from insult, and to criminalise call for Sabah and Sarawak to secede from Malaysia.

 

Najib made a ‘courageous’ move

 

Meanwhile, Parti Cinta Malaysia Huan Cheng countered that there is no issue of Najib reneging his promise to repeal the Sedition Act or bypassing the cabinet before making the announcement.

 

He lauded the move to retain the Sedition Act, citing “hate politics” perpetuated by opposition politicians and its supporters in the form of lies, hate and propaganda.

 

He said it would be farcical to implement the National Harmony Act while “hate is in the air”.

 

Najib, said Huan Cheng ( right ), was only getting the support of Umno members so that he has the mandate to bring the issue of retaining and strengthening the Sedition Act to parliament.

 

“It takes true grit for our prime minister to go against the flow publicly before the Umno General Assembly to make such a stand for it shows his sincerity in taking the bull by its horns in dealing with subversive elements, which are invoking anti-establishment sentiments to the highest degree,” he said in a statement today.

 

‘Apply it fairly’

 

Earlier, both MIC Youth and Gerakan separately urged for the Sedition Act to be implemented fairly, in order to avoid selective prosecution.

 

“There must be adequate check and balances in the sedition law and a mechanism found to strictly monitor the law.

 

“The rule of law should prevail in that only those who challenge the basic tenets of society should be charged,” said MIC youth chief C Sivarraajh in a statement today.

 

While acknowledging that the law is needed, he said it also should not be used against legitimate political dissent.

 

Meanwhile, in a separate statement yesterday, Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong ( right ) said that public dissatisfaction over the Sedition Act had stemmed from its selective use and ‘overuse’, especially against academics and public intellectuals.

 

“Furthermore, the failure to charge Ibrahim Ali over the call to burn the Malay language Bibles has fuelled the perception that the act has not been used in a fair and just manner.

 

“As such, Gerakan welcomes the Prime Minister’s call (yesterday) that action be taken against those who disrupt religious harmony,” he said.

 

Nevertheless, Mah said he still hopes that the Sedition Act would be replaced by a more comprehensive National Harmony Act, and believes this will eventually happen due to increasing democratisation.

 

“The new framework (that replaces the Sedition Act) must include a set of punitive and positive measures to ensure societal stability, but at the same time, promotes national unity and harmony,” he said.

 

He added that the engagement to formulate the replacement laws should continue.

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