COMMENT Malaysian society is fast becoming an Orwellian dystopia, where labels such as ‘moderates’, ‘extremists’, ‘national security’, ‘national harmony’, ‘sedition’ and even ‘sabotage of the economy’ and ‘parliamentary democracy’ have become relative (doublespeak) and imprecise, depending on how they are defined by the state and the judiciary.

The Malaysian government has added to this dystopia by introducing yet another unjustified draconian law, ‘The National Security Council Bill’ with measures equivalent to those following the declaration of a State of Emergency, all in the name of protecting ‘national security’.

Our government’s human rights record for 2015 is already appalling, even prior to the tabling of this emergency-like law, given the range of detention-without-trial laws, including the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, Prevention of Crime Act, Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Dangerous Drugs Act and other “catch-all” laws such as the Sedition Act and the arbitrary actions of enforcement personnel.