KUALA LUMPUR: Any proposal to amend or repeal the Sedition Act requires thorough and careful consideration, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said his ministry continuously undertakes efforts to improve existing legislation, including the Sedition Act, to ensure its implementation remains appropriate and relevant to the current national context while upholding fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
"Therefore, any proposal to amend or repeal this Act requires thorough and careful consideration, taking into account the views of stakeholders such as enforcement agencies, the judiciary, academia, civil society organisations, and the public," he said in a parliamentary written reply to a question raised by Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru).
Takiyuddin had asked the Home Ministry to state whether the government intends to amend or repeal the Sedition Act 1948 as promised in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto, in line with its pledge to abolish oppressive and outdated laws.
The Home Ministry, said Saifuddin, has conducted several engagement sessions with relevant stakeholders to assess and review the application of the Sedition Act within the current context and situation of the country.
This also takes into consideration the balance between the people's right to freedom of expression and the need to preserve harmony in a multiracial society as well as public order, he added.
