26 Apr 2024, 10:56 Kuching
26 Apr 2024, 03:56 London
Prime Minister Najib Razak has announced on Thursday that he will maintain Malaysia’s controversial Sedition Act, abandoning his pledge to pursue liberal reforms when he came into power five years ago.
The Umno president told delegates to the ruling party’s general assembly that he was responding to the views from his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, the grassroots leadership and Malay non-government organisations on the law which they insist is crucial to defending their rights and national harmony.
“As the Prime Minister, I have decided that the Sedition Act will be maintained. Moreover, it will be strengthened and improved,” he said in his policy speech.
He said two new clauses would be added to the law. One will protect the “sanctity of Islam” and ensure all religions are not insulted, and the other one will criminalise calls for Sabah and Sarawak to secede from the majority Malay nation
So, Najib has decided that he is going to kill free speech.
The democracies of the world should now be advised. Najib plays on being an ex-British public schoolboy, but no longer can he pretend to be a member of the civilised club.
This is a man who lost an awkward woman to military grade high explosives after her kidnap by the security forces.
He is a man who has borrowed $40billion on Malaysia’s tab and can show virtually nothing for it.
Now he plans to criminalise freedom of speech and to lock up anyone who argues in favour East Malaysia’s independence. Inevitably this will slide to championing greater autonomy, greater fairness, equality etc – all will become criminalised.
The UK has just had an adult and sensible debate and a referendum on a similar issue of Scottish independence, which is resulting in reforms that will go a long way towards meeting the dissatisfactions expressed by Scots.
But, Najib, who calls himself a democrat, would prefer to just lock up any individual, who is driven to even suggesting independence in response to BN’s criminal and unfair misrule of Sabah/Sarawak.
Najib clearly considers that he can’t win the arguments, because he and his party are so blatantly corrupted.
So, he is opting for the gangster solution.
He should make his next state visit to Zimbabwe.
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