by AZALEA AZUAR / pic by BERNAMA
FREEDOM of expression in the country seems to be a little stifled this year, with the increase in the use of Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
According to Suara Rakyat Malaysia’s (SUARAM) Human Rights Reports 2020, the actions were taken mainly on statements made on the Internet.
SUARAM ED Sevan Doraisamy (picture) said such a trend should be curbed as it would be read as a signal that civic space in Malaysia is getting tighter under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
“The usage of the Sedition Act and the Communication and Multimedia Act is passing 100 — which is scary — as it would definitely be detrimental to the civic space and freedom of expression in Malaysia,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
SUARAM’s data also stated the Sedition Act was mostly used when the nation was mired in a political crisis.
While the Anti-Fake News Act has been abolished, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 still serves a similar purpose in its place.
SUARAM documentation and monitoring desk coordinator Kenneth Cheng said the increase in legal action, particularly on what is deemed as fake news, could be related to the government’s responses on the Covid-19 policy.
“How do you regard something as fake news if I actually shared the news three or four days before, which is deemed obsolete by the government? There seems to be no sense of direction in some of the government’s policies,” he said.
SUARAM’s report also noted an increasing usage of Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA) 2012 and the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) 1959.
Sevan said the 28 days of detention under SOSMA is also very excessive.
“Usually, when someone gets arrested, he might get three or four days, although it might be extended for another three or four days. Under SOSMA, you will get 28 days as a blanket. This is definitely detention without trial,” he said.
The issue has contributed to a larger problem, namely overcrowded prisons and migrant detention centres — the main two causes of the spike in Covid-19 cases in the country.
Sevan said SUARAM had also put forward its report and recommendations to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
He added that one of the areas of discussion is prison reform and improvements that are needed at immigration detention centres.
He said SUARAM would like to see a strong political reform within the current government.
Other issues that are highlighted in the report include heavy restrictions on the freedom to assemble; double standard arrests; children and mass migrants arrest; unfair sentencing; extrajudicial punishment and restrictions of press freedom which was imposed during the first phase of the Movement Control Order.
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