Kit Siang challenges Zahid to debate NSC bill
DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang has challenged Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to a public debate on the National Security Council Bill.
He said the bill paves the way for a dictatorship and does not safeguard public and national security.
"The public debate could be held in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Johor Baru. I leave it to Zahid to decide on any or even all of these venues."
Zahid, who is also the home minister, had denied that the National Security Council (NSC) Bill which was passed in in haste by Dewan Rakyat 107 to 74 votes in a late-night sitting last Thursday, had any political motive or gave absolute power to the prime minister.
Zahid claimed that the NSC bill was to strengthen enforcement in comprehensively looking after the security of the people in the country.
He said the executive powers of the bill were not with the prime minister but with the National Security Council as with The Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) and the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca).
In a statement today, Lim said he will challenge all these claims by Ahmad Zahid.
He added that Zahid and he had not taken part in the parliamentary debate on the NSC Bill last Thursday.
Zahid (photo) was only an observer in the parliamentary debate on Thursday as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim was responsible for taking the NSC Bill through Parliament for the second and third readings.
Lim said he had not participated in the parliamentary debate as he had been suspended from Parliament for six months for demanding accountability for Najib's RM2.6 billion and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals.
"Zahid could not be so naive as to think that his bald denial that the NSC bill is vesting the prime minister with absolute powers would have any credibility when even Dr Mahathir Mohamad has denounced the NSC Bill as reducing the constitutional powers of the rulers, and usurping the powers of the Agong when it comes to declaring an emergency.
"The NSC Bill will render Article 150 on proclamation of emergency by the Agong on cabinet advice completely superfluous as it will vest powers with the prime minister to exercise emergency powers, without having to invoke Article 150 for a proclamation of emergency by the Agong on cabinet advice."
'Agong's powers usurped'
Lim said this is clearly an usurpation of the powers of the Agong, as the prime minister by the declaration of a “security area” would be able to exercise all emergency powers which under the Malaysian Constitution, could only be made after a proclamation of emergency by the Agong under Article 150 of the federal constitution.
He added this was not only a power grab but was no less than a quadruple power grab at the expense of the Agong, the cabinet, and the autonomy powers of Sarawak and Sabah.
He criticised the NSC bill as a preposterous and monstrous law for the definition of “national security” was so wide as to be a “catch-all”.
Besides “sovereignty, territorial integrity and defence”, it also encompassed “socio-political stability, economic stability, strategic resources, national unity and other interests relating to national security” [Section 4(a) of NSC Bill]. This, he added allows for great abuse by the Executive.
Lim added the definition of “national security” is so elastic and open-ended that it covers virtually all issues under the sun, and not is confined strictly to security issues like threats from Islamic State (IS) or intrusion by Sulu terrorists from southern Philippines.
"The Najib government's track record on human rights and the rule of law is so dismal that it cannot be trusted with untrammeled powers, as it has acquired the bad habit of abusing existing laws."
He further cited the latest example of the propensity of the Najib government to abuse powers was the prosecution of the former de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Act for calling for Najib's resignation and public support for Mahathir.
Abysmal record
He questioned with such an abysmal record regarding abuse of power, how could the Najib government be entrusted with such new untrammeled powers to impose emergency rule in declared “security areas” without having to comply with Article 150 on a proclamation of emergency by the Agong.
Lim added there were grave concerns that the NSC bill could also be used to suppress the growing national clamour about Najib's RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals.
It could also be used against the growing support in Sarawak and Sabah for greater autonomy in the areas of resource development with regard to the claim for 20 percent of oil royalty to the oil-producing states, education - particularly on the use of English language and recognition of the UEC in Sarawak, native customary rights, and other issues connected with greater autonomy for Sarawak and Sabah.
"Let Zahid come to a public debate or a series of public debates to convince Malaysians that the NSC bill will not pave the way to a dictatorship and is indeed necessary to safeguard public and national security, " challenged the feisty DAP supremo.
For more news and views that matter, subscribe and support independent media for only RM0.36 sen a day:
Subscribe now