Najib broke his word on sedition law, say critics
(TMI) – Civil society and human rights lawyers have expressed disgust that yet another politician will be charged under the Sedition Act today although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had promised to remove the law from the statute book.
They said, of late, it had become a fashion for Putrajaya to use this outdated law to stifle dissent among opposition leaders and individuals critical of the establishment.
They said Malaysia’s human rights records would take a further beating if this law was used to suppress freedom of speech and expression, a right guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.
Lawyer Gobind Singh Deo said the charge against PKR vice-president N. Surendran at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court this morning is yet another example that Putrajaya was abusing the law to its advantage.
“The prime minister made a pledge to do away with this law but what we see is the complete opposite. We see more and more people, in particular members from the opposition being charged,” said Gobind, who is DAP national legal bureau chairman.
Gobind said Najib had failed to live up to his promise to make Malaysia what he in his own words described as the world’s “best democracy”.
He said Surendran’s case demonstrated the current pathetic state of affairs of the criminal justice system in Malaysia.
Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com//malaysia/article/najib-broke-his-word-on-sedition-law-say-critics
