Repealing Sedition Act has no bearing on Vision 2020, says PKR Youth
It is shallow to say that Malaysia will be unable to achieve Vision 2020 if the Sedition Act is repealed, said PKR Youth.
Its deputy chief Dr Afif Bahardin slammed Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for suggesting this.
Dr Afif said Ismail's remark was shallow and expressed regret that a minister could say such a thing just shortly after Malaysia celebrated its 57th Independence Day.
"We regret that Malaysia has a minister who tends to defend old colonial laws.
"Malaysia will not fail to achieve Vision 2020 because of repealing the Sedition, but it will fail because the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is unable to administer the country well.
"The corruption index is worrying, the economy is mismanaged, the national debt and leakages are high because the Umno government is inefficient. BN will be the main cause behind Malaysia's failure to achieve Vision 2020," he said in a statement today.
Ismail had made the remark recently, according to a Bernama report. He had reportedly defended the use of the act, saying that the law is needed to help maintain peace in the country.
Dr Afif, who is a Penang executive councillor, rebutted Ismail's remark, arguing that a country's success in becoming a developed nation was through good governance.
He said history has shown that a country becomes advanced when it has efficient management and is serious in its efforts to eradicate corruption.
"Such successes also have to do with a government's openness, care, and ability to work with all parties for the sake of developing the country.
"Therefore, we again call on the Prime Minister to repeal the Sedition Act, like he had promised to do two years ago," he said.
Dr Afif said Datuk Seri Najib Razak's failure to repeal the Act would prove that his own transformation efforts have failed.
"We also call on Najib to stop the government's series of sedition prosecutions on politicians, academics, journalists and activists immediately.
"Let the right and freedom to speak be returned to the people, as it is provided in the Federal Constitution," he added.
Of late, calls to repeal the Act had become louder around the country, following a series of sedition charges filed against Pakatan Rakyat leaders.
Among those facing sedition charges are PKR vice-president and Padang Serai MP N. Surendran, Batu MP Tian Chua, DAP vice-chairman and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli of PKR, and Deputy Selangor State Assembly Speaker and PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad of PAS, Changkat Jering assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of PAS, Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer of DAP, and Universiti Malaya law professor Dr Azmi Sharom are also facing trial for sedition.
On September 5, Najib reiterated that he was committed to repealing the Act and replacing it with the proposed National Harmony Act.
However, his statement was met with resistance and protest with various Malay rights groups expressing their favour for the colonial-era law.
Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali declared that BN will loss the group's support if the Sedition Act is repealed. Social media users also flooded Najib's Facebook page with calls to keep the Act. – September 9, 2014.
