Activist charged with sedition over slur on Johor royalty

(Malay Mail Online) – A social activist today became the fifth person charged with sedition in under a fortnight, after he claimed trial for posting remarks on Facebook that allegedly insulted the Johor royal house.

Ali Abd Jalil pleaded not guilty to a single count under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 at the Selayang Sessions Court this morning, but it is understood that he has since been re-arrested and will be charged again later today.

If convicted, the head of the Anything But Umno (ABU) movement will be liable for a fine of no more than RM5,000, a jail term of up to three years or any combination the two.

Putrajaya has recently increased its use of the Sedition Act that it maintains will be repealed, triggering concerns that Malaysia could be regressing towards the authoritarian ways of the Mahathir administration.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today also said that Putrajaya will not repeal the law if doing so does not result in an “improvement”.

Putrajaya was recently forced to defend both the continued use of the Sedition Act and the delay in repealing the law two years after the prime minister’s pledge.

A spokesman for the government said that as long as the Act remains in effect and until the legislation meant to replace the colonial era law is passed, “existing cases must be tried under existing laws.”