Sarawak PKR Youth, Kuching branch calling for public support to abolish Sedition Act

By Simon Peter

KUCHING, Sept 5, 2014: Sarawak PKR Youth movement and PKR  Kuching branch will jointly organise a year-long campaign calling for the abolition of the Sedition Act 1948.

Caption: Baru signing the petition as Simon Siah and Chua Kuan Ching (standing) watch.

The campaign will kick-off at Kubah Ria, Matang, from 9am to 11am this Saturday, to collect signatures from the public.

"MansuhAktaHasutan" campaign was initiated by the National Young Lawyers Committee of the Malaysian Bar Council.

"The campaign is to create awareness of the Act and to build a critical mass of persons who support its repeal," Sarawak PKR Youth vice head Simon Siah Sy Jen told reporters today.

"We are planning to bring this campaign to other parts of Sarawak as this is a matter that affects everyone, including the rural communities," he explained.

"Obviously, this campaign is open to everyone including supporters of the Barisan Nasional who believe that Sedition Act 1948 should be abolished.

"Therefore, we also ask all parties to come and join us in this campaign," Siah said.

He said that the Sarawak PKR Youth observes that it is now a trend by the BN government to charge any dissenting voices with the archaic Act.

"In recent weeks, it seems to be the norm for Malaysians to be arrested and charged under the Act, and the most ridiculous use of the Act is the recent arrest of Professor Azmi Sharom for offering his legal opinion, which is something that lawyers like us do in court," he said.

"Decisions, which we deem to be legally wrong, we will submit to the court or write articles dissecting the decisions based on established schools of thoughts even though they could be of different opinions," he said.

Secretary of the PKR Kuching branch Chua Kuan Ching, meanwhile, said that Sedition Act, although an outdated and obsolete law, is now being used as a tool to undermine freedom of expression which is guaranteed by Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

"It should no longer be applicable, especially when the government is intending to repeal it by introducing the National Harmony Act," she said.