Putrajaya said new harmony laws were being drafted but defended the recent slew of sedition charges against opposition politicians, adding that the courts were fair to all.
The Prime Minister's Office, in a statement today said the government would repeal the Sedition Act and replace it with the National Harmony Bill as pledged.
This came in response to criticism over the current sedition dragnet on several opposition leaders with critics accusing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of going back on his word to repeal the draconian law.
The statement said the National Harmony Bill was currently in drafting stage.
"Until new legislation is in place, existing cases must be tried under existing laws. Any charges under the Sedition Act are a matter for the courts.
"Malaysia’s judiciary is independent, as the verdicts of many cases prove," the spokesperson said.
In the last few days, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli and his party colleague Padang Serai MP N. Surendran, Shah Alam MP and PAS central committee member Khalid Samad, and DAP Seri Delima assemblyman R. S. N. Rayer have been charged for sedition.
DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and PKR Batu MP Tian Chua are also facing trial for sedition, while former Perak MP and Changkat Jering assemblyman Nizar Jamaluddin was charged with criminal defamation for a statement he had allegedly made two years ago.
Critics said the move as an attempt by Putrajaya to silence its political foes.
Under the Federal Constitution, an elected representative is disqualified from office if fined more than RM2,000 or jailed for a term exceeding one year.
The archaic act was to be replaced with the Harmony Bill, as well as the Racial and Religious Hate Crimes Bill, which outlaws hate speech, and the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Bill, which sets out the scope of the body which will hear discrimination disputes before they go to court.
This is in line with Najib's promise to abolish the law in July 2012 as part of his reform agenda.
The spokesperson said the drafting of the bills, which is aimed at promoting national harmony and protecting Malaysians from racial-religious hatred, is taking time due to the numerous consultations with civil society and the public.
Various feedback and recommendations have been received, according to the spokesperson, including from the National Unity Consultative Council, which is tasked to obtain input on the proposed bills, and they are all currently being studied.
"Like other countries, we are working to find the right balance between freedom of speech and national harmony in the age of online media.
"The government welcomes feedback from all sections of society, and hopes to present the draft Bill to Parliament by the end of next year," the spokesperson added.
The NUCC had received a barrage of criticism over the three bills. Some, while lauding the repeal of the sedition act, have questioned the need for another set of laws to replace it, while others have asked Putrajaya to shelve the three harmony bills and to retain the act. – August 30, 2014.
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