Sedition Act arrests - cops to be given definition of 'insults'
The government will define what constitutes as insults to serve as a guide for law enforcement agencies, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
At present, he said the authorities do not understand what is considered to be an insulting remark or action...
The government will define what constitutes insults to serve as a guide for law enforcement agencies, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
At present, he said the authorities do not understand what is considered an insulting remark or action.
Stressing that Malaysia has freedom of speech, the prime minister said action should not be taken against those who state facts.
"At the moment, enforcement parties do not understand what is considered as an insult, so we need to spell out what are the actions or remarks that are considered insulting.
"I have said that in Malaysia today, we practice freedom of speech. And this freedom of speech, if a person speaks something factually, that person can not be put to blame.
"On the contrary, if we were to shut everybody's mouths to the extent that they cannot speak when crimes occur, then we will have injustice in our country," he told reporters in Putrajaya today.
Mahathir was responding to the police arresting three people under the Sedition Act for posting remarks deemed insulting to former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V on social media.
Meanwhile, when asked on de facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong's statement earlier today about the government mulling to enact new laws to curb attacks against the monarchy institution, Mahathir said the government would need to see on the "precise definition".
"We need to see which definition is more precise," he said, without elaborating further.
Liew told reporters in Putrajaya this morning that the government wanted to enact new legislation to protect the sanctity of the institution of the monarchy from being humiliated and attacked by irresponsible people.
Following the resignation of Sultan Muhammad V as the country's Yang Di-Pertuan Agong last week, several individuals were found to have posted remarks which netizens deemed as insulting to the monarchy.
The use of Sedition Act, which Pakatan Harapan had previously put a moratorium on, has received criticisms from certain quarters including pro-Harapan activists who called for its repeal.
