Sedition Act: Najib is committed despite opposition from followers - Saifuddin

Former UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah defended Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s promise that he would abolish the Sedition Act.

Saifuddin said Najib is committed to abolish the Act as promised, however, the people around him are against it.

“I am confident that the PM is sure of abolishing the Sedition Act but he is surrounded by people who do not agree with him.

“When I became the Deputy Minister, it was difficult to amend certain laws because my boss would not want that, but at last, it was done albeit not entirely.

“Our duty is to show that we want to do away with the Act. Hopefully this message would reach him,” said the former deputy of Higher Education Minister during the Sedition Act Repeal Movement (GHAH) yesterday.

He said there would be only one reason to retain the Sedition Act which is to make the rakyat fearful.

“Malaysia Day is tomorrow. How good would it be to celebrate Malaysia Day without Sedition Act,” he said while adding on that the abolishment of Sedition Act has got nothing to do with political parties.

Meanwhile, the call for the Act to be repealed has been strongly voiced out by those present including former Bersih co-chairman Datuk S. Ambiga who said only judiciary can put an end to the Sedition Act.

Padang Serai member of Parliament N.Surendran who was also present said there need not be any other new laws to be enacted to replace the Sedition Act.

“Laws are enough. No need to be replaced, no need to be drafted. Just repeal the Sedition Act,” he said.

About 128 organisations including SUARAM, Lawyers for Liberty and Amnesty International Malaysia launched the GHAH to oppose the Act.

Among the demands of GHAH include, repealing the Sedition Act, dropping all existing charges and release all those charged under the Act.

All present at the launch were DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, PAS deputy president Mat Sabu, PKR's vice-presidents Tian Chua and Rafizi Ramli, University of Malaya law lecturer Azmi Shahrom and student activist Adam Adli,

Many of those attended, questioned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for not living up to his promise of abolishing the Act.

Najib on July 11, 2012 has said that the Sedition Act 1948 will be repealed and will be replaced with National Harmony Act as part of the government transformation program.

Sedition Act 1948 has been amended five times and the its last amendment was in 1975.