KUALA LUMPUR: In a bid to “strengthen” the Sedition Act 1948, Putrajaya tabled a bill yesterday to amend the colonial-era law so that bail could be denied to those charged under the Act.

The proposed Sedition (Amendment) Bill 2015 will include two new sections — 5A and 5B. Section 5A states that where a person is charged under Subsection 4(1)(a) and there is a certificate in writing by the public prosecutor stating that it is not in the public interest to grant bail to the accused, no bail will be granted. 

The other section states that the court will have the power to prevent those charged under Section 4 of the Sedition Act and released on bail, from leaving the country by ordering them to surrender their travel documents for a certain period.

The bill also seeks to introduce a clause that will “make clear” that any act of inciting any person or group to demand for the secession of any state from Malaysia is deemed seditious. Such a demand is already considered seditious under the current Act.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi tabled the bill for first reading in Parliament yesterday.

Other amendments to the Sedition Act include a clause that says it will no longer be an offence under the Act if anyone causes hatred and contempt or incites disaffection against the government.

Putrajaya said this is in line with its efforts to be “more open” where the public is at liberty to give feedback or criticise the government so as to create a transparent and accountable administration.

The new Section 5A is also in line with the proposal to impose a higher penalty for sedition offences involving bodily injury and damage to property. Under a new subclause, it will also no longer be an offence to bring into hatred, contempt or disaffection the administration of justice in Malaysia.

However, the bill will also see the introduction of a new clause to make it an offence for anyone to promote ill will, hostility or hatred against another person or group on the grounds of religion.

The bill is seeking to increase the penalty for those convicted of offences under the Sedition Act, with a minimum of three years imprisonment and a maximum of five years.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had repeatedly promised to abolish the Sedition Act since 2011, but at the Umno general assembly last year, he said the law would be retained and “strengthened”. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 8, 2015.