What does it say about us if we need the Sedition Act?

At the start of the Umno general assembly this year, I told myself that I won’t be writing any opinion pieces based on the speeches, debates and discussions there.

Over the years, I have learned that the rhetoric spewed just does not appeal to me. And it is not just with Umno, but with all political parties, from the ruling coalition to the opposition.

The party’s representatives and leaders can say whatever to the public that seem progressive and promising, but when they start to face their grassroots, they play to their tune.

And this is just what has happened this year at PWTC when the main issue to date has been the Sedition Act and how all the party’s wings have agreed wholeheartedly that it has to stay.

This goes against many statements made by some of these same people that it will be repealed. So what has happened now? Why the U-turn?

Personally, I don’t agree with the Sedition Act as it restricts freedom of expression and speech. It means that people cannot say anything they want.

Of course the argument here is that people really can’t say anything they want as that would cause a lot of problems. And, I agree.

I believe that a person cannot be allowed to defame another person – that is saying untruthful things about another to damage to their reputation.

And, we don’t need to have the Sedition Act for this as we already have existing laws in place that make it wrong to defame people. So we should be okay.

But, the party representatives who have so strongly stated that the act needs to remain, says that it is to protect religious sanctity and also to stop talk about the secession of Sabah and Sarawak.

They also said that criticising the government is allowed because that is just part of democracy and they are accountable to the public anyway.

But, the act is just so broad and vague that almost any reason can be used to make a charge against anyone for sedition. And that makes it too confusing and open to abuse.

And, anyway, I believe that self-censorship will be the way of the future because everyone would should be able to have the maturity to think and process information.

A Muslim, Christian or whatever believer would have enough faith and knowledge to not be easily swayed by what they see and hear in the media or from others.

By saying that we need such an act such as the sedition act, it just goes to show that we are convinced that Malaysians are just too uneducated and stupid to think and make decisions for themselves. – November 28, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.