Gov't can't tell when Sedition Act will be abolished, says Dr M

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that the government cannot furnish an exact timeline as to when the Sedition Act will be abolished.

He pointed out that repealing this legislation is a time-consuming process and in the meantime, the police are still invoking the Sedition Act.

"The Sedition Act is still there, to repeal the law takes time. You have to go to Parliament. So, in the meantime, they (the police) are applying the law.

"But I don't want to bother about this thing. Anybody wants to call me names (for this stand), they are welcome (to do so),” he told reporters after attending a book launch in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mahathir further argued that repealing laws related to the Federal Constitution would require a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

"Yes, we have quite a number of laws to be repealed, and a few laws to be amended.

“So it takes time, because the attorney-general will have to go through all the new laws. And also, some of the laws involve the Federal Constitution.

"If it involves the Constitution, we need a two-thirds majority,” he added.

In the past, Mahathir had defended the need for the Sedition Act, warning that repealing it would lead to chaos.

Without the Sedition Act, he said, Malaysians would be free to incite hatred while “extremists” would call for the dismantling of the royal institution.

Last week, the prime minister urged the police to stop arresting those who hurled insults at him.

This followed the arrest of Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam's brother under the Sedition Act for sharing a social media post deemed insulting to Mahathir. - Mkini