Cabinet agrees in principle to amend Sedition Act to protect royalty

 

The cabinet has agreed in principle to study amendments to the Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15) to ensure the legislation is only used to protect the royal institution from acts of provocation.

According to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, the decision was taken after she submitted findings from a recently-held dialogue session on legal approaches to handle the current issue of religion, race, and royalty (3R).

"Other aspects regarding provocation involving religion and race will be examined, including the drafting of new legislation, if necessary, by taking into account the views of the Malay rulers as the heads of Islam, and in line with international best practices and principles.

"The Prime Minister Department’s Legal Affairs Division will take appropriate steps in reviewing in detail the Sedition Act 1948 [Act 15] and ensure the proposed amendment is really intended to protect the royalty holistically," said Azalina (above).

The dialogue session on 3R was held last Friday in Kuala Lumpur.

It was attended by more than 50 representatives from government and non-governmental agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the Bar Council, civil society organisations, academicians, and religious organisations.

The three main issues discussed in the session were whether Malaysia should repeal any existing legislation and enact new laws; amend only certain laws; or maintain the status quo. - Mkini