Talk about pusing balik. Just reading this is enough to make my stomach pusing after lunch: Najib has declared at the Umno assembly that the Sedition Act would not only be retained but strengthened…
Flash-back to 11 July 2012, in the run-up to GE13:
KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the repeal of the Sedition Act 1948 tonight, in his latest move to regain the momentum for reforms ahead of elections that must be held soon.
He said the 64-year-old law would be replaced with a National Harmony Act.
“With this new Act, we would be better equipped to manage our national fault lines.
“It will also help to strengthen national cohesion by protecting national unity and nurturing religious harmony,” he was quoted as saying by The Star during the Attorney-General Department’s dinner here.
Tonight’s announcement comes as part of the prime minister’s slew of legislative reforms to increase civil liberties initiated during the eve of Malaysia Day last year.
So what has changed?
When Najib announced the repeal of the Sedition Act, he was banking on 1Malaysia to lead the BN to a thumping electoral win at GE 13 in 2013 and cement his place as Umno president.
But with Pakatan capturing 51 per cent of the popular vote and BN reduced to little more than Umno-plus-East Malaysian parties, that attempt to win over the middle ground with the 1Malaysia branding has all but been ditched.
Instead, despite Shahrizat’s attempts to strike a move sober note with a nod to the more inclusive New Politics, Najib’s U-turn at the Umno assembly has shown that he is only interested in playing to the gallery of the ‘Old Politics’ of race and religion.
But that gallery is a shrinking market in the face of a weakening economic outlook. Just this morning my mechanic and his neighbour both lamented that “ekonomi sekarang sudah perlahan”. People are feeling it. The cost of living is rising as well. And the university students are stirring.
Umno is feeling insecure and afraid of losing its grip on power. Hence, Umno leaders are looking to entrench their positions one way or another. And the Sedition Act is a handy instrument.
In the meantime, my friend, the cartoonist Zunar, is expected to be charged with sedition next week. Imagine that.
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MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam had confirmed that the non-Malay BN component parties were political parasites, Umno’s stooges and sycophants when he admitted that neither MIC nor the Cabinet were consulted prior to Najib’s unilateral announcement.
Najib even evoked May 13 with video during his speech at the assembly to shift attention to bogeyman the communist to accentuate the siege mentality of malay dilemma.
Najib made the gostan move after strong pressure by Wanita Umno (to get 1 million signatures) and Umno Youth the day before, showing that he desperately wanted to gain their support to stay in power. The rest of the BN mosquito parties (MCA, MIC and Gerakan) should ask why such important move was not discussed at the cabinet, but hastily made at Umno assembly.
Najib has shown that he can never honour his janji. So be careful with the future baits.
There is still hope if a nation has a stupid prime minister but if the nation were to comprise of stupid people, then, the nation perishes !!!
Now this is real stupid if one think there is hope with a stupid prime minister. So he is saying there is still hope for the nation if any Ah Too, Ah Kau or any Tom, Dick and Harry is the PM. This is sheer stupidity from someone really stupid
Najib is just trying to hold on to his Umno president seat as he could be booted out before GE14. Tun Mahathir has been attacking him lately and questioning his poor leadership. He is using the same old formula by singing the same tune with his grassroot malays. What can the public do to him if he doesn’t listen to them? Absolutely nothing. He still has 3.5 years to go before GE14. That’s plenty of time to cook up a strategy to fool the voters, yet again. He’s playing double politics, one with the general public, another with UMNO. He… Read more »
Najib’s 1M4U has already hinted that his 1Malaysia is for U-turn. So it is not surprise that he executes Gostan.
Compared the Sedfition Act is very mild. What do you say of the US Patriot Act On October 23, 2001, Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner introduced H.R. 3162 incorporating provisions from a previously sponsored House bill and a Senate bill also introduced earlier in the month.[4] The next day on October 24, 2001, the Act passed the House 357 to 66,[5] with Democrats comprising the overwhelming portion of dissent. The following day, on October 25, 2001, the Act passed the Senate by 98 to 1.[6] Opponents of the law have criticized its authorization of indefinite detentions of immigrants; the permission given… Read more »
Isn’t the Patriot Act, which was enacted after the September 11 attack, closer to our Emergency Ordinances in terms of protection of national security from potentially violent terrorist threats rather than the Sedition Act which is mainly used against political opponents and critics of the ruling government? Who are the potential targets of the Patriot Act? Has the act been used against anyone who criticizes the President or the ruling party? Or for that matter anyone who chooses to offer their interpretation/opinion of any law or any court ruling? And I don’t think that anyone has or would be charged… Read more »
The Patriot Act is just like the ISA Act. The ISA or Patriot Act allows the govt to detain without a court order. The opposition should be grateful that Najib has repealed this act. The Sedition Act is a very very much milder act and I do not think its appropriate to repeal it. In fact I also think the ISA Act should should be retained. Uttering of words considered seditious is subjective and up to interpretation. What about Anwar calling the Chinese stupid. Many Chinese would want to (crticise) him and is very angry that he has utter such… Read more »
The ISA was enacted after the Malayan independence somewhere in 1960. The then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, defined the purpose of the act as to “be used solely against the communists… My Cabinet colleagues and I gave a solemn promise to Parliament and the nation that the immense powers given to the government under the ISA would never be used to stifle legitimate opposition and silence lawful dissent”. As history would prove, this promise were broken countless of times. In short, the ISA in its original spirit is similar to the Patriot Act until the power that… Read more »
It was the right move. In fact the ISA should not have been repealed in the first place. Singapore was right in retaining both laws. Look at what is happening in Hong Kong and else where in the world and many would have definitely agreed with the exception of the oppositions. With the repeal they would be able to write and utter even more racist, religious and seditious remarks that could cause tension and disharmony. They can act like hooliganism such breaking gates and barging of UM in which is minor compare with uttering racist and religious remarks that could… Read more »
What is your take regarding the threat by Ibrahim Ali to burn Bibles? Or Utusan Malaysia’s ‘Apa lagi Cina mahu? Aren’t these remarks more religiously or racially seditious than the ‘UMNO celaka’ remark which itself was an admonishment of UMNO for its racist May 13 threat?
If not because of his backgrounds, do you think a guy like him, an Ah, can be a prime minister of a country??? O yes it can be found in this kk land !!!
However, he should be proud as he still garners the support of 47% +1 NUT followers!!!
If not because of his background do you think the cubs could be MP. Maybe some is blind. It could be found in US, India, Ceylon, and so many many countries.
Pak Lah sounded this warning to Najib:
“In our enthusiasm to retain the Sedition Act, I remind Umno members that the act is not to be used to keep Umno in power. Umno’s power and strength comes from the people’s support. Remember, if the people no longer support us, there is no law on God’s earth that can save Umno from losing power”
Frankly speaking its this sleeping PM Pak Lah that caused BN to lose its 2/3 majority. He tried to be like Gorbachev that caused the whole Soviet Union to collapse with his glasnost. Look at what the US and the West is trying to do in Hong Kong.
Proton now have to re-engineer “gostan” gear syatem to advanced level in honour of our leaders ?
Proton can name its next model Proton Gostan in honour of Najib.
Last time we heard of Rahman theory.
But now Gostan theory of sucession means father-son reversal bolehland way is the current hot trending discussion :
i.e Razak -> Hussein -> Mahathir -> Badawi ==> Najib -> Hishamuddin (sorry Muhiddyin) then –> Mukritz –> then only Khairy
if such theory is valid, then Muhiddyin got to re-align while Khairy must refocus (not spend time too much on Bolasepak Ultra Malaya or Liga Sepak Takraw?)
This made me chuckle! After all, not a lot makes sense..
If the RAHMAN theory is gostan then next PM after Najib is A which could be Ahmad Maslan?