Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is not an iron-fisted ruler, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim.

This was because the premier never acted beyond his jurisdiction, he said.

"The iron-fist remark referred to some of the prime minister's actions but it was within jurisdiction to do so.

"It was his jurisdiction and he did not go against it. He has conducted his responsibilities fairly," Shahidan ( photo ) told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

He was commenting on the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report which said that Malaysia is slowly becoming a police state.

In its report, HRW had accused Najib of breaking his promise of reform and instead unleashing a 'wave of repression' against dissenters, which has resulted in a climate of fear.

The international rights group also claimed that the space for public debate and free speech in Malaysia is shrinking because the government continues to resort to criminal laws to silence critics.

HRW’s 145-page report titled ‘Creating Culture of Fear: The Criminalisation of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia’ was released yesterday and documents a long list of incidents under Najib.

The report is released ahead of United States President Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia next month, with the view that the US would press for reforms on laws used to curtail freedom of expression.