Amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (PCA) has been passed without any changes made to the Bill, removing some of the safeguards earlier available in the act.

Among others the amendment removes a requirement on the home minister to table an annual report on detention orders issued under the PCA to the parliament.

The parliament would also no longer need to renew the law every five years in order for the provisions relating to detention orders to remain valid.

Despite a question from Ng Wei Aik (DAP - Tanjong), Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar (PBB – Santubong) did not explain why these provisions were removed.

"When the Parliament approved amendments to (PCA) in the year before, the hope is that it can be reviewed.

"But the five years is not even up yet and now this (clause) is being abolished," said Ng during the committee stage debate...

Unlike the stiff resistance put up by opposition parliamentarians  against the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) in the wee hours of Tuesday, there was little debate over the PCA amendments.

It was passed within about 45 minutes of its second reading, and there was no debate at all during committee stage.

During the committee stage debates, Wan Junaidi assured that the Prevention of Crime Board would be made of persons who have integrity, and urged the Dewan Rakyat to have faith in the board.

The board is empowered to issue two-year detention orders that can be renewed indefinitely.

To a question from Gobind Singh Deo (DAP – Puchong), Wan Junaidi said the Home Ministry will look into making the board’s procedures available for scrutiny of lawyers of the detainees.

This is so that it cannot be changed on a whim, despite PCA’s provisions that allow the board to set its own procedures.

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