KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat has approved by voice vote a bill to amend the National Security Council Act which includes the removal of the prime minister’s power to declare any area a security area.
The proposed amendments hand that power to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Among other amendments is a requirement that any person or entity must provide information as requested by the NSC.
The bill will now go before the Dewan Negara for approval before being submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the royal assent, after which it becomes law.
The proposed amendments had been brought before the Dewan Rakyat in April last year but was withdrawn by the government at the time.
It was tabled for debate today by de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan, who took it through all three readings.
The bill proposes to strengthen the membership of the NSC and to allow directors of operations in security areas to instruct any person or entity to provide information needed by NSC.
“This shows the government is concerned and committed to act against any threats,” Takiyuddin said.
The bill further seeks to increase the penalty for breaching information linked to NSC.
“It also seeks to ensure the power to make decisions does not only lie with the prime minister and that it is decided collectively by the members,” he said when tabling the bill for debate.
The bill also seeks to remove the deputy prime minister as the deputy chairman of the council and to allow the chairman to appoint any committee member as the NSC deputy head.
The committee members are the ministers for defence, foreign affairs, and communications, the chief secretary to the government, the chief of defence forces and the inspector-general of police.
The Act, originally passed in the Dewan Rakyat in December 2015, gave the prime minister the power to declare any area as a security zone where security forces could search any individual and inspect a vehicle or building without a warrant.
It came into effect on Aug 1, 2016.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said the law needed to be amended as it infringed on the King’s powers to declare an emergency. - FMT
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