Sevan Doraisamy, executive director of the Suaram human rights group said the PH-run federal government had not come up with a plan on when action would be taken in Parliament to repeal the Sedition Act and other laws.
The 14th Parliament will be called into session next week. Details of the government’s legislative programme have not been revealed. However, Pakatan Harapan made election pledges to do away with the Sedition Act, National Security Council Act and Anti-Fake News Act when it came into power.
Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh of DAP urged the government to take action during the first sitting of the Dewan Rakyat. He said a repeal could be carried out by a simple majority vote.
Sevan said civil society did not want to see another U-turn on sedition, as with the former Barisan Nasional government of Najib Razak, which although having promised to abolish the law, had strengthened it in April 2015 with a higher fine and jail sentences on offenders.
He noted that several people, such as former editor A Kadir Jasin, activist Hishamudin Rais and controversial preacher Zamihan Mat Zin had faced action under the sedition law since the May 9 general election.
This week, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, a lawyer, was called up by police for a statement about an online posting about Anwar Ibrahim and royalty.
Sevan said he was disappointed with Pakatan Harapan MPs in the government for not speaking up now, even though they themselves had been investigated and charged under this act.
Ramkarpal said there was no longer any reason for the government to keep the Sedition Act. “If they can make the goods and services tax (GST) zero-rated within 100 days, why not abolish the Sedition Act in the same time frame?” he said. “There is nothing to review or look into.”
Cartoonist Zunar and Parti Sosialis Malaysia central committee member S Arutchelvan, who have both faced sedition charges before, reminded the government that the people were keeping watch on whether PH would fulfil its promises to uphold freedom of speech.
Zunar said: “It is not too late to withdraw all investigations and charges against those accused”, while Arutchelvan said the authorities should not waste their time on sedition investigations. “There is nothing criminal about them, merely political,” he said.
He said Fadiah’s case should be the last sedition case before the law is abolished.
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