Fulfil promise to review Sosma, Guan Eng tells govt

Summary

• DAP national chairperson Lim Guan Eng urges the government to fulfil its promise and review draconian provisions of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

• He reminds Harapan leaders of their opposition to the law in the past.

• Lim says the revision would prove the government’s commitment to institutional reforms.

DAP national chairperson Lim Guan Eng has urged the government to fulfil its promise and review draconian provisions of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

“Sosma should be reviewed this year to remove its oppressive and draconian provisions.

“This is to showcase the government’s commitment to institutional reforms aligned with fundamental human rights and the rule of law,” the Bagan MP said in a statement today.

On Feb 8, the family members of 32 men held under Sosma launched a hunger strike in front of the Sungai Buloh Prisons Complex.

They are demanding the government and prison authorities to allow them to visit and check on the detainees, who were said to have also started a hunger strike inside the prison.

On the same day, Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy expressed his disappointment over the government’s reluctance to repeal or amend the security laws, especially provisions that deny bail and allow for prolonged detention.

He said the family members of Sosma detainees had to organise a protest due to Putrajaya's failure.

“A proposal to amend (Sosma) has been presented to the cabinet. It has been two years but why has nothing been done until today?

“What are the ministers doing? You already know that there are issues with this law, but why do you still allow the authorities to use it without any restraint?

“So, we ask the government to impose a moratorium on Sosma until they table the amendments in the Parliament,” he was reported as saying.

Draconian provisions

On that note, Lim reminded fellow Pakatan Harapan leaders that they had considered Sosma too harsh and oppressive in the past.

The former minister pointed out that apart from Section 4(5) of Sosma, which permits the detention period of up to 28 days for investigation without any access to courts; Sections 6, 13, 14, and 30 are also problematic due to its draconian nature.

Among others, Section 13 provides for a detainee’s continuous detention pending trial despite facts not in support of it – while Section 30 permits an application by the public prosecutor to remand an accused who has been acquitted after trial, when there is an appeal.

“Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had promised in December 2022 that Sosma could be reviewed and amended in the future.

“And I wish to remind everyone how then-opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had successfully led Harapan to reject the extension of Section 4(5) of Sosma for another five years,” he added.

It should be noted that while Harapan did manage to block the provision’s extension in March 2022, the then-government eventually succeeded in getting it approved in July of the same year.

Yesterday, the police briefly arrested Sevan for allegedly entering the Home Ministry headquarters in Putrajaya without a pass.

This was over an incident on Monday where Sevan and Suaram programme manager Azura Nasron were accompanying family members of 32 Sosma detainees who wanted to meet Home Ministry representatives.

However, he was later released after being questioned for about an hour.

While Putrajaya district police chief Aidi Sham Mohamed and the Home Ministry denied Sevan was arrested, the Suaram leader said the officer present at the scene confirmed he was being arrested.

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