INSINCERE NAJIB: Section 114A of the Evidence Act is here to stay

Kuala Kangsar: The controversial Section 114A of the Evidence Act is here to stay.

And judging by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's explanation, there is no need for a review of the law.

Speaking at length on the matter here today, Nazri said the law was put in place to protect the people.

"I would have hesitated to table the bill in Parliament in April if for once I thought that the amendment would not serve the security of the country.

"We have the concern of the rakyat ... don't make us look as if we got no concern," he told reporters here.

There have been calls for the act to be reviewed and revoked even by Barisan Nasional lawmakers themselves.

Section 114A is an amendment which enables law enforcement officials to hold one accountable for publishing seditious, defamatory or libelous content online, as long as the allegedly defamatory content is traced back to one's username, electronic device and/or WiFi network.

Section 114A presumes one is guilty of publishing illicit content on the Internet unless one can prove otherwise.

- New Straits Times