PUTRAJAYA: The government wants to be more inclusive of civil society, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low yesterday — but such an offer appears to be at odds with the passing of a controversial antiterror bill and a complaint by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) that it was not consulted over it.

Low said civil society could engage with the government on “everything and anything” that affected them, whether it was about a law or an issue, but the minister could not explain what this meant for the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota), which was passed in the Dewan Rakyat earlier this month.

While acknowledging civil society’s criticism of Pota, Low could not say if this meant that Putrajaya would hold back on enforcing the law until further discussions have taken place.

“I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is that the government is open to listen to anything. This is the engagement the government wants to give,” he said after the Asean People’s Forum in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Low was asked by The Malaysian Insider at a press conference about Suhakam’s contention that it had not been engaged before the Pota was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat.

“I don’t want to say [anything] about Suhakam,” said Low, who is the minister in charge of governance, integrity and human rights.

When asked why it had taken the government so long to engage with civil society, Low said things were changing.

“There are a lot of things that we want the government to do but I think things are changing. From what I can sense, the government is thinking of a platform that is more inclusive of civil society ... which I think is very positive.

Low said he might be the one leading such an initiative to help Putrajaya engage more with civil society.

“Yes … in time to come. I will try to get the government itself to have dialogues on any issues ... Because it’s an inclusiveness that the government should be embarking on.”

Earlier in his speech at the forum, Low acknowledged that the Pota and other draconian laws such as the Sedition Act had come under criticism from members of civil society.

“I know they feel some of the laws are too tough. But I think we can begin to engage the government even in this area,” he said to some 1,000 people at Wisma MCA.

“And I can speak on behalf of the Malaysian government, that we can look at how best, in the future, to adjust and amend to come to a balance.”

Low said Putrajaya had received a lot of flak recently on its record on human rights, but added that the same freedom accorded to people in other countries like those in Europe could not be accorded here.

“There needs to be an understanding that societies are different in maturity, education and more,” he said.

This did not mean the government was above any criticism, Low said, but that freedom of speech came with responsibility.

“And the government must be open to listen,” he added. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 24, 2015.