KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 8- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s announcement to repeal the Sedition Act last July was a mere suggestion, said Health Minister Dr Subramaniam.
“The prime minister has the right to make suggestions but it has to be brought to the Cabinet,” said Subramaniam when queried by reporters.
The Segamat MP’s statement appears to contradict Najib’s announcement in July last year, when the prime minister announced that he would repeal the Sediton Act 1948 and replace it with the National Harmony Act.
Najib had then said there was need to have a balance between freedom of speech and manage the delicate racial and religious diversity in the country.
Then, explaining what the new National Harmony Act was essential in replacing the colonial era Sedition Act, Najib said: “With this new act we would be better equipped to manage our national fault lines.
It will also help to strengthen national cohesion by protecting national unity and nurturing religious harmony.”
But the government seemed to have backtracked on the matter when Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the media yesterday that the Cabinet had yet to make a decision on the matter.
He even said that the repeal of the Sedition Act might cause dispute to certain provisions in the Federal Constitution, such as the position of Islam and the status of the Malay Rulers.
However, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz rebuffed Zahid’s statement, saying the government was committed to repealing the legislation.
When told that Najib made an announcement, not a suggestion as the premier even had a name for the new law, Subramaniam said: “Then the prime minister has to bring it up at the Cabinet.”
The deputy MIC president said all legislation must fulfill two important criteria — it should not curb freedom of expression as well as maintain security and public order.
“If it hinders freedom of expression, then we must review it but so long as it maintains public order,” said Subramaniam.
