Dr M: All civil freedom ‘must be limited’

(The Malaysian Insider) – Too much freedom will destroy society, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has charged, saying that civil freedom should have its limits.

“All freedoms must be limited, the problem is determining the limits,” he said today during a luncheon talk with foreign officials attending the Umno general assembly here.

Dr Mahathir said in Malaysia there were increasing calls for “freedom of sex”, citing this as a kind of “abuse of freedom” which could destroy society.

“Society becomes primitive, backwards if there is too much freedom. A good amount is good, but too much freedom no,” the former prime minister said.

The Najib administration recently pledged a slew of reforms to allow more space for civil liberties.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tabled in Parliament last week a Bill regulating public assemblies.

The proposed law has been criticised by opposition leaders as well as civil society groups as “haphazard” and they have demanded that it be withdrawn completely.

Provisions of the Bill concerning the notification period for an assembly was amended after last Friday’s Cabinet meeting.