KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 ― A deputy minister’s claim that freedom of religion did not equate to freedom from religion was “utter rubbish”, said a federal legislator when noting that the same liberty to speech did not compel a citizen to exercise the right.
Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua also questioned how Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki arrived at his controversial conclusion that atheism was illegal in Malaysia, which the latter made this week in Parliament.
Pua then used the constitutional guarantee of free speech to debunk Asyraf’s position, and explained that a liberty only meant the ability to pursue an action if a person so desired.
“When the Constitution says under Article 10, ‘every person has the right to freedom of speech’ and “every person has the right to assemble peacefully without arms”, would the deputy minister with a doctorate also interpret it as ‘everyone must speak (and hence cannot remain silent)’ and that ‘everyone cannot refuse to participate in peaceful assembly’? Read more