PM: Some laws being reviewed

LANGKAWI: The National Security Council (NSC) Act 2016 is among the laws currently being reviewed for possible amendment or repeal, says Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic).

He said the review was being carried out because some of the laws were used by the previous government to restrict freedom in the country.

“We are still studying the effects of the laws as many of them, including the NSC Act, have been found to deprive the people of freedom of speech.

“There will be a lot of amendments,” he said yesterday.

Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu was reported as saying the Government would review the NSC Act, set up by the previous government, to ensure that it was not used as a political tool.

The legislation was passed by Parliament in December 2015.

Among others, the law empowers the council to declare a state of emergency in a designated area and grants unprecedented powers to security forces to make arrests and conduct forced evacuations in an area.

It also grants all members of the council and those operating under it complete exemption from legal liabilities and prosecution.

On a separate matter, Dr Mahathir congra­tulated Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on his election as the eighth Umno president on Saturday.

“This means he is loved by Umno and I congratulate him, but we (Pakatan Harapan) will not work with them.

“They obstructed us in many ways in the past, such as not allowing us to collect donations and ‘torturing’ my close friends who have since fled, leaving me alone,” he said.