Sosma vote will be retabled, says Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR: The parliamentary motion on the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) is likely to be retabled after it was shot down in a vote at the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

“I am looking on how we can retable it. There is a time crunch,” said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (pic).

The Dewan Rakyat had voted down the motion to extend the enforcement of subsection 4(5) of Sosma which allows for the detention of suspects for up to 28 days without trial.

The five-year limit of the provision ends on July 31, 2022.

The retabling will thus have to be done early in the next Dewan Rakyat meeting from July 18. However, it will still not take effect until it is endorsed by the Dewan Negara which will only meet in August.

“August will be too late as it would have expired. We have to see how this can be done,” he said.

He said the matter would be further discussed with legal officers to determine the next course of action.

On the implication of Wednesday’s vote on the bipartisan memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in September, Hamzah reminded the Opposition that supporting or refraining from voting on the government’s motions was part of the terms.

He said the motion was simply seeking an extension to the period in an existing law.

The provision for the 28-day detention without trial has to be extended every five years. It was last extended in 2017.

“What is important now is the people’s right to security. I didn’t think about this MOU,” he said.

“What will happen if I take this to the Cabinet and say that I disagree with what the Opposition did?” he said, cautioning that such a move would not only threaten political stability but also the Opposition’s funding.

He added that he had already said discussions could be held later on any potential reviews.

The matter, he said, would still be discussed at the Cabinet meeting today.