Dewan Rakyat passes anti-stalking bill

 

The bill to amend the Penal Code was tabled by deputy law minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin in the Dewan Rakyat. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat has passed the anti-stalking bill in a voice vote after its third reading.

The bill to amend the Penal Code was tabled by deputy law minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin in the Dewan Rakyat. Its first reading was done on Aug 4.

The bill seeks to amend the Penal Code to make stalking, whether virtually or otherwise, an offence punishable by imprisonment for up to three years, a fine, or both if convicted.

The proposed new section reads: “Whoever repeatedly by any act of harassment, intending to cause, or knowing or ought to know that the act is likely to cause distress, fear or alarm to any person of the person’s safety, commits an offence of stalking.”

Debates to amend the Criminal Procedure Code to include anti-stalking provisions are ongoing.

The debate also witnessed several opposition MPs suggesting ways to improve the bill by including a variety of other offences.

Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut) called for the definition of stalking to be widened to include serial stalkers and those who do so to knowingly cause fear and distress.

She said the definition should emulate the one spelt out under the Queensland’s Criminal Code Act and Singapore’s Protection from Harassment Act.

The former deputy women, family, and community development minister also called for offences such as doxxing, damaging properties, and spying to be included in the list of stalking offences.

Yeoh said that the Bill would be able to protect women and girls who are vulnerable to such acts.

In addition, criminalising stalking would also help in preventing murder cases in the near future as there are reported murder cases in the country, where the crime took place after the victims were first stalked.

The lower house also passed the amendment to the Criminal Procedural Code to include anti-stalking provisions.

The bill was passed on a voice vote after six MPs participated in the debate of the bill that was tabled for second and third readings. - FMT