Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR: The police are justified in making arrests under the colonial-era Sedition Act 1948 to prevent acts of terrorism in the country, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.

He said the act was a preventive measure and if not used, more people could become victims to acts of terror.

The controversial law, criticised by many here and abroad for quelling legitimate dissent, was useful in preserving ethnic relations, he added.

“We also place importance on ethnic and religious relations and that is why we are strengthening the Sedition Act. All this is meant to forestall something negative from happening to our country.

“As the saying goes in English, ‘prevention is better than cure’. I believe that it is better for us to have preventive detention laws than having someone commit an act of terror.

“If terrorism were to happen, many lives may be sacrificed,” Najib said in a speech to the police force at the 208th Police Day anniversary in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

He said there was no reason for the government to apologise for using the Sedition Act, despite international criticism against the colonial-era law.

“We should not be apologetic. Some may say this is not democratic, this [violates] rights to freedom, and more.

“But I want to say that there is no absolute freedom. There is no place for absolute freedom without responsibility in this country,” said Najib.

He also gave his assurance that the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which will be tabled in Parliament soon, would not be used for political purposes.

Najib added that the executive arm of the government would have no say in whether to detain an individual under the new act.

“The government has no intention of using the new act for political purposes. That is why the power to detain is not placed under members of the administration. — The Malaysian Insider

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 26, 2015.

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