Cabinet gave nod to begin Sedition Act amendments, Saifuddin says

 

The cabinet had given the green light two weeks ago to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to initiate the process of amending the Sedition Act 1948.

He said the goal was to help the government curtail the provocations on 3R (race, religion, royalty) issues.

“The goal is not to make it more restrictive, but towards how we can invoke (the act) so that what is being called the 3R phenomena out there can be controlled,” he said in an episode of “Keluar Sekejap” which aired yesterday.

Last July, the government announced that it had agreed in principle to amend the Sedition Act to better protect the monarchy.

Saifuddin told the podcast yesterday that during audiences he had with the Malay rulers, they had questioned why attacks against the royal institution go unpunished.

“They ask ‘Datuk (Saifuddin), doesn’t our country have laws? Ten to 15 years ago open criticism of the royals didn’t happen, now it happens every day. Don’t we have laws?’” he said.

He said such views must be given due consideration as the monarchy’s role was enshrined in the constitution.

In line with this, Saifuddin said the government’s position is that the Sedition Act should be used against provocations against religion and royalty, and not for politics.

“The prime minister (Anwar Ibrahim) has told us to fight politics with politics, and not to use the Sedition Act,” he said. - Mkini