It would seem that not all of BN’s lawmakers are on the same page with regard to amendments to the Sedition Act that Putrajaya tabled in Parliament this week.

Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin believes the amendment bill needs to be fine-tuned, for in its current form, it gives the Act powers that are far too wide-ranging.

He also spoke against the proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, which among others could see those convicted of multiple offences serving jail sentences consecutively.

Speaking out the Sedition Act amendments, Bung said differing view should not be illegal.

"People should be able to voice their concerns without being implicated.

"For some people, the awareness is not there. They just ‘Like’ something on Facebook or something similar. That is why I ask the minister, how if village people ‘Like’ a statement on Facebook? Are they going to be arrested?

"That is not good. That’s why we must see carefully the content of the amendments and whether there should be more amendments to protect the people and the country," Bung ( left ) told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

He added that any amendment made by the government to existing laws should be for the good of the people and not burden them instead.

"The amendments must be for the good of the people[...]if good, we support. If not, we ask the government to pull back the amendments and discuss the content again," Bung said.

Secession should be included

Commenting on urgings for secession to be included in the Sedition Act amendments, Bung said he believed this was logical to ensure the harmony of the country.

"Actually, we have seen before what had happened in our country when a group tried to inspire the people to pull Sabah and Sarawak out from Malaysia. That is not good because Malaysia is Malaysia.

"No one can bring out even one inch of our land outside of Malaysia. Everybody has their right to comment and we also have our right to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’," he explained.

The government has tabled amendments to the Sedition Act introducing new provisions, including no bail upon arrest and a maximum jail sentence of 20 years for offences causing bodily injury and damage to property.

The amendments include religious incitement and secession being placed under the purview of sedition laws as well.

The bill is expected to be passed during the current parliamentary sitting.

CPC Bill withdrawn after bi-partisan opposition

Earlier during parliamentary proceedings, Bung and several other MPs including opposition MPs also voiced opposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), arguing that it gives the police excessive powers.

They also oppose a provision that requires jail sentences for multiple offences to run consecutively.

"This act for me is an infringement on the rights of others. Don’t take other people’s work.

"The police cannot take the work of judges or the attorney-general or our jobs[…] The government needs to withdraw this," he said during the committee stage debate of CPC amendments.

His opposition to the amendments, however, took DAP's Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto aback.

"It's gonna snow in Malaysia! Kinabatangan and Putatan just asked for the Criminal Procedure Code Bill to be Withdrawn!" Unbelievable," she tweeted.

It's gonna snow in Malaysia! Kinabatangan & Putatan just asked for the Criminal Procedure Code bill to be withdrawn! #Unbelievable

— Kasthuri Patto (@KasthuriPatto) April 8, 2015

Others opposing the amendment include Hanipa Maidin (PAS - Sepang), Marcus Mojigoh (Upko - Putatan), M Kulasegaran (DAP - Ipoh Barat) and Azalina Othman Said (Umno - Pengerang).

Ahmad Fauzi Zahari (Umno - Setiawangsa) called for a bi-partisan discussion on the amendments.

The government subsequently deferred the CPC amendments to the next sitting, along with the amendments to the Evidence Act.