The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), a Kuala Lumpur-based media advocacy and training group, wants the Sedition Act to be repealed if the government is serious about encouraging healthy, open discussions on sensitive issues.

CIJ director Sonia Randhawa said a precursor to opening up discussion on racial and religious issues, and solving related problems, requires a repeal of the act enacted in 1948.

"While this act is in place, Malaysians are risking arrest, trial and imprisonment for voicing opinions or 'discontent', which does not create an atmosphere amenable to mature, responsible discussion," she said in a statement today.

She believed that healthy debates were important to discuss 'sensitive issues'.

"The Sedition Act 1948 is being used to silence opinion. This does not help to solve grievances, but serves to worsen them."

(The act allows for imprisonment of up to three years).

The CIJ, in responding to official threats made against an online forum owner and participants following recent news reports of postings of an allegedly seditious nature, condemned the move.

On Wednesday, Water, Energy and Communications Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik ranted over the Harian Metro reports highlighting the discussion on the Malaysia Boleh online forum as being a allegedly seditious and inflammatory against the Malays and Islam.

Concerted attempt

The author and owner of the forum, if successfully traced , stand to face possible action under the Sedition Act, Penal Code and the Communications and Multimedia Act.

Sonia said that following on the heels of the 'Anwar' controversy which was first highlighted in Berita Harian , there now appeared to be a concerted attempt by newspapers to police the Internet.

She was commenting on reports that the Multimedia and Communications Commission was investigating the matter, assisted by cyber forensic experts from the Malaysian Computer Emergency Response Team.

However, Sonia who is also CIJ's advocacy officer, conceded that the comments made on the forum were in bad taste.

"However, silencing discussion on the highly sensitive issues of race and religion is not going to solve the problems alluded to, however crudely, in the discussions on this forum.

"What is required is the opening up of spaces for discussion, rather than closing them down."

Currently, she said, the only environment where Malaysians are comfortable discussing issues of race and religion with Malaysians of other faiths is anonymously, and usually online.

Be alert

Sonia added that these conditions did not lead to responsible or mature discussion.

"Spaces need to be opened up in other media for these discussions (in order) to allow hidden grievances to be aired, and solved."

The forum's postings include racist remarks, challenging the 30-year-old policy on special privileges for the Malays and related frustrations that could be construed as extremely vicious personal attacks.

The online version of today's Harian Metro had a report urging netizens to be alert and immediately report to the authorities any 'suspicious information' they find while surfing the Internet.

The report quoted a youth association urging Malaysian Internet users to cooperate by helping the authorities monitor parties who abuse the increasingly popular source of alternative information.