THE government will not blindly pass new laws to punish anything and everything uttered against the Malay rulers, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The prime minister said there was a need to study what constituted an insult before protecting the royals from criticisms.
He said any new law should clearly spell out the exact insulting words or actions for people to be punished.
“In Malaysia we practise freedom of speech. If what is said is factual, then the person cannot be blamed.
“If the enforcement stifles everyone’s freedom of speech, the people will even stop talking about crimes when they happen.
“We have to look at the definition of what is correct,” he said after a special cabinet meeting on anti-corruption in Putrajaya today.
Earlier today de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said Putrajaya was mulling a new law to protect the monarchy from attacks and insults, as it feels that the current penalties were inadequate.
He said the government had been discussing the new law since October, and it is expected to be tabled in Parliament this year.
Dr Mahathir also said that enforcement agencies might not understand what is considered to be an insult, and that is why it needs to be looked into.
The call for new laws with severe punishments has increased in recent days, as a number of people took to social media to allegedly insult Sultan Muhammad V, who resigned as Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Sunday.
So far, at least four people have either been sacked, suspended or resigned from their jobs after being accused of insulting Sultan Muhammad.
The police have arrested at least three of them for investigations under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act.
If convicted, first-time offenders may be fined not more than RM5,000, jailed for not more than three years, or both.
– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com
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