Don’t use the Sedition Act

THE Centre for Independent Journalism is concerned about the use of the Sedition Act to arrest blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, who uses various aliases online (including “Papagomo”). Linked to the previous regime, Wan Muhammad Azri was previously successfully sued by former leader of the opposition Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, with his award being paid by a branch of Umno.

Wan Muhammad Azri is being investigated for an allegedly seditious video, which appears to touch on racial sentiment. The situation in Malaysia at the moment is tense, and there is a need for extra vigilance to ensure that peace is maintained. It is at times like these that the importance of dissociating police action from political action becomes paramount. It is thus with concern that CIJ notes that despite the announced moratorium on the Sedition Act, it has been used to detain Wan Muhammad Azri. We believe that the Cabinet’s suspension of the moratorium is a step backwards, giving the impression that there is a continuing need for this colonial piece of legislation.