PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has agreed that the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) should be improved, says government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil.
He said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution has been tasked by the Cabinet to re-look Sosma to see which parts could be improved upon.
Fahmi, who is the Communications Minister, said the Cabinet meeting yesterday followed up on the issue raised during the Prime Minister’s Question Time on Thursday for the government to review Sosma.
“The Home Minister will address the matter in the Dewan Rakyat. Some of the issues with regards to re-looking and improving Sosma were discussed.
“It was raised in the Cabinet due to some events which have taken place recently and we want to improve current laws,” Fahmi told his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing.
Earlier this month, about 50 protesters who are family members of those detained under Sosma, staged a hunger strike outside the Sungai Buloh prison complex after their visitation requests were rejected.
The families gathered at the ministry’s building to push for a meeting with officials and hand over a memorandum demanding urgent answers about the well-being of their loved ones.
On Monday, human rights group Suaram urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to intervene after the Home Ministry refused to accept the memorandum.
On Thursday, Anwar stated in the Dewan Rakyat that Sosma was still needed as a measure against activities such as terrorism but said the regulations must not be abused for other issues.
Introduced in 2012 as a replacement to the Internal Security Act (ISA), Sosma was aimed at providing special measures relating to security offences for the purpose of maintaining public order and security and for connected matters.
Effectively, it allows preventive detention, like the ISA, for security offences. Unlike the ISA, however, it does not allow for indefinite detention without trial at the Home Minister’s discretion.
Instead, it permits detention in blocks of 28 days at a time, renewable by court order.
