Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today dismissed a US Embassy report that Malaysia used national security laws to silent political dissidents.

He said political arrests only took place when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister and he had used the now defunct Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) to silent dissidents.

"But his successors did not," added Zahid.

"Political arrests only occurred during Mahathir's era, where the ISA was used. Under the era of Pak Lah (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) and Najib Razak, nobody was arrested due to political differences," he said.

Zahid, who is also the home minister, said he was also an ISA detainee in 1998.

This shows that the current ruling government is more open and transparent in dealing with political differences, he added.

He was responding to a US report, titled "Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 (Malaysia)" which the US Embassy in Malaysia uploaded on its website on July 20.

"Malaysia uses its national security laws to arrest, jail, harass and intimidate critics and political opposition," the report states. 

The report also cited that in November (2016), police arrested a human rights activist under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act on the eve of a planned public demonstration and held her in solitary confinement for 10 days. 

The report said that these security laws have also been used to stifle dissenting voices critical of the alleged misappropriation of sovereign wealth fund money from 1MDB.

Asked about the arrest of Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah (photo), Zahid said the activist was not detained for "political differences".

Maria was arrested on the eve of the Bersih 5 rally, which was held to demand for institutional reforms, and she was subsequently detained for 10 days.

The electoral reform group was being investigated under Section 124C of the Penal Code on allegations that it had received funding from the Open Society Foundations, which is linked to American billionaire George Soros.

On controversial Penang-born businessman Low Taek Jho's alleged dual citizenship, Zahid said he would have to check Low's status.

"I don't know. I have to check whether he has dual citizenship," he replied.

Low, who is better known as Jho Low, was named in the June 15 lawsuits filed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for holding both Malaysian and St Kitts and Nevis passports.

National Registration Department (NRD) has requested Wisma Putra to contact St Kitts and Nevis' authority for the relevant information.

Low, whose whereabouts remain unknown, is closely linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal, which saw billions of ringgit in funds allegedly siphoned off by certain individuals.

He has denied the claims directed at him.