Ramkarpal laments lack of political will to abolish Sedition Act

 

DAP lawmaker Ramkarpal Singh has lamented an apparent lack of political will by Pakatan Harapan to abolish or at least amend the Sedition Act.

This was in light of a sedition probe against activist-artist Fahmi Reza, over social media posts questioning why Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim seemed to be above the law.

Ramkarpal reminded Harapan that it had pledged in 2018 and 2022 to abolish or at least repeal draconian provisions in various laws, including the Sedition Act, but there has been no such initiative.

The former deputy law minister said the Sedition Act is an affront to constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech, especially since the law finds intention irrelevant.

“I have raised this issue in Parliament in the past, but there seems to be a lack of political will to effect the necessary reforms to at least make intention relevant under the said Act.

“In these circumstances, I call upon the government to urgently review the said Act with a view to its total abolition or, at the very least, to reform it,” he said in a statement today.

Fahmi Reza

Ramkarpal said the irrelevance of intention in the Sedition Act is a major flaw, as it fails to distinguish between genuine, truthful speech and those who merely want to incite hatred and violence.

“For context, how would Fahmi be able to effectively defend himself if his intention or reasons behind what he supposedly said are not taken into account in the investigation process and later in court in the event he is charged?” he said.

Royal tangle

In a post on Dec 15, Fahmi questioned why Tunku Ismail appeared able to act as he pleased without facing any legal repercussions, though it was unclear what prompted the posting.

The post, however, came less than a week after a company headed by the Johor regent launched a new cryptocurrency stablecoin, RMJDT.

Tunku Ismail is also the subject of intense speculation about his purported involvement in the recruitment of seven “heritage” footballers, whom the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) has accused of falsifying documents to obtain Malaysian citizenship.

Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim

Nine years ago, Tunku Ismail had urged the police not to arrest his critics.

The Bukit Gelugor MP’s remarks come amid a push by DAP for the government to enact reforms within six months, a timeline set after the party was wiped out in the Nov 29 Sabah election.

However, it is not clear what reforms are being sought besides recognition for the United Examination Certificate. - Mkini