Amanah National Youth’s student affairs bureau is launching an online petition with the hashtag #MahasiswaTolakDiktator, calling on Malaysian students to urge the government to retract the National Security Council Bill 2015 (NSC Bill) immediately.

"We believe, as custodians of the nation's future, it is our utmost responsibility to ensure that the country we will inherit does guarantee civil liberties and fundamental rights to each citizen," the bureau's director, Ahmad Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda said in a statement today.

Should the government refuse to retract the bill, the bureau will hand the petition to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The bureau condemned the passing of the bill as an attempt by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his administration to foster authoritarian rule.

Fadhli expressed concern that Najib appeared to be vesting an "autonomous and absolute" power in himself and his cabinet in matters of national security through the NSC Bill.

"As the wise and revered Lord Acton once said, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'. We, from the student affairs bureau, are deeply concerned by this unprecedented move by the prime minister to wield boundless and autonomous control over the country.

Lust for power

"We believe that the recent proposal of the NSC Bill only accentuates the prime minister's infinite lust for power" .

Fadhli lamented that here is already a "long list of draconian laws" enacted in the name of national security, such as Prevention of Terrorism Act, Prevention of Crime Act, Security Offences (Special Measures) Act as well as existing provisions in the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code.

"The NSC Bill will only make the prime minister all too powerful, to the degree that nothing will prevent him and the government of the day from manipulating and misusing those very powers to exert absolute control over the country, and naturally, safeguard their position as the ruling party for the foreseeable future," he argued.

The NSC Bill was passed in Dewan Negara by way of a voice vote last night, without any amendments, despite an earlier spirited debate on the apparent dangers of the bill by BN senators, some even calling for it to be sent to committee for rectifications of possible constitutional breaches.

The NSC Bill, which has been widely slammed for giving the prime minister absolute power to receive intelligence and address security issues, was passed by Dewan Rakyat on Dec 3.