Day: December 3, 2015

Dewan Rakyat luluskan RUU Majlis Keselamatan Negara dengan undian suara

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Sumber: The Malaysian Insider

Rang Undang-undang Majlis Keselamatan Negara akan memberikan kuasa kepada anggota yang diketuai Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak untuk mengarahkan penahanan individu tanpa waran apabila sesuatu kawasan diisytiharkan sebagai kawasan keselamatan. – Gambar Reuters, 3 Disember 2015.

Rang Undang-undang Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) yang dikritik memberi kuasa penuh kepada perdana menteri, diluluskan malam ini melalui undian suara dengan majoriti ahli Parlimen menyokong.

RUU yang dibentangkan hanya dalam tempoh 2 hari itu memberikan kuasa kepada anggota MKN yang diketuai Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak untuk mengarahkan penahanan mana-mana individu tanpa waran apabila sesuatu kawasan diisytiharkan sebagai kawasan keselamatan. Read more →

After marathon debate, Parliament approves controversial NSC Bill

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

Malaysian Parliament - MMO File pic

Malaysian Parliament – MMO File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — The Dewan Rakyat today passed by a majority vote the National Security Council (NSC) Bill 2015 after nearly seven hours of heated debates, amid protests by the opposition and civil society groups against what they claim is a law that would confer wide-ranging powers to the prime minister.

The House passed the Bill on a voice vote at the third and final reading at 10.55pm, after the opposition failed to stop the Bill at the policy stage debate in a bloc vote with 107 voting for and 74 against the Bill.

Earlier when winding up points raised during the policy stage debate, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim denied claims by the opposition bench that the Bill is a ploy to confer powers on the prime minister to declare a state of emergency without needing to seek the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

He admitted that they may not have had sufficient time to read through the Bill as it was only tabled on Tuesday, but insisted that they had wrongly interpreted provisions within the Bill. Read more →

National Security Council Bill approved

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Source: NST

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Security Council ( NSC) Bill 2015 was approved by the Dewan Rakyat tonight after a marathon six hour proceeding.

The house voted in favour of the bill, with 107 in favour and 74 against the bill, in a bloc voting at 8.50pm.

In his winding speech Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Shahidan Kassim, said the bill has no power to declare emergency in the country.

“Under the bill, the government will identify security areas. The King declares for emergency.”

He also said the bill will help in coordination of duties between the police, army and the maritime authorities such as in the case of Esscom in Sabah. Read more →

More strikes, cost hikes likely with TPP, study indicates

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

PwC said Putrajaya would have to amend its labour laws and regulations to fulfil its obligations under the TPP agreement. — Picture by Choo Choy May

PwC said Putrajaya would have to amend its labour laws and regulations to fulfil its obligations under the TPP agreement. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Malaysian employers may face more industrial action by employees along with higher business costs if the country signs the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), consultants PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) said in its cost-benefit analysis released today.

PwC said Putrajaya would have to amend its labour laws and regulations to fulfil its obligations under the agreement, which would include relaxing the conditions imposed on trade unions that would effectively make it easier for them to go on strike or stop work as a sign of protest. Read more →

Analysis: Fears of TPP’s impact on Malaysia’s sovereignty exaggerated

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

Pic taken from FMT News

Pic taken from FMT News

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Concerns that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could undermine Malaysia’s sovereignty are real but may be “over-amplified”, a local think-tank concluded based on its study of the agreement.

The analysis by Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) pointed out that Malaysia has been able to secure exemptions, such as for pro-Bumiputera policies, in the Pacific free trade treaty involving the US and 11 other nations including Malaysia.

“Participation in the TPP is positive for Malaysia’s security interests,” said the ISIS’ National Interest Analysis of Malaysia’s Participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership released today. Read more →

Malaysian Bar: Security Council law ‘insidious’, door to authoritarianism

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

Malaysian Bar Council president Steven Thiru - Pic by Malaysiakini/Loh Jun Lin

Malaysian Bar Council president Steven Thiru – Pic by Malaysiakini/Loh Jun Lin

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — The proposed law to grant the government powers to arbitrarily declare security zones where laws and liberties do not apply is a “grave infringement” on the Federal Constitution, the Malaysian Bar said today.

Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru further noted that the National Security Council Bill seeks to provide the government unfettered powers over virtually all the country’s institutions and state governments in the event that a threat to “national security” is declared.

Such powers would also usurp the authority of the Yang diPertuan Agong as it would remove the necessity to seek his consent to declare what would amount to a state of emergency in locations designated “security areas” by the council, he added.

“[We] would remind the government that it has more than enough laws giving it more than enough draconian powers to address security concerns. Read more →

Premium, foreign goods to be cheaper under TPP, ISIS analysis shows

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

A report by think-tank ISIS said Malaysian consumers would enjoy competitive prices for both imported and locally produced goods, on a wide range of products as import duties for almost 85 per cent of them will be eliminated when the TPP agreement comes into force. — File pic

A report by think-tank ISIS said Malaysian consumers would enjoy competitive prices for both imported and locally produced goods, on a wide range of products as import duties for almost 85 per cent of them will be eliminated when the TPP agreement comes into force. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Malaysian consumers could enjoy cheaper imported goods including luxury items if the country joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), according to a cost-benefit analysis released today.

The analysis by local think-tank Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia also said the treaty would result in more competitive prices for locally produced goods by those who import materials in the manufacture of the final product.

“Consumers in Malaysia can enjoy competitive prices for both imported and locally produced goods, on a wide range of products as import duties for almost 85 per cent of them will be eliminated when the agreement comes into force,” stated a report on ISIS’ analysis of national interests of Malaysia’s participation in the TPP. Read more →

‘NSC Bill gives dictatorship powers to a desperate politician’ – Institut Rakyat

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Source: MalaysiaKini

Source: Mkini

Source: Mkini

Sweeping powers proposed for the prime minister under the National Security Council (NSC) Bill 2015 raises alarm, given the tenuous political standing of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, PKR think-tank Institut Rakyat says.

The bill, which allows the NSC to declare a place a “security area” and impose emergency-like conditions, must be pushed through today if it is to be passed by the end of this parliamentary session.

“We should all bear in mind that a caretaker prime minister facing defeat in an election can still activate the powers granted to him by the NSC Bill.

“Without functional institutions of executive accountability, without leadership based on responsibility, Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy is in grave jeopardy,” Institut Rakyat director Yin Shao Loong said in a statement today. Read more →

Kumpulan masyarakat sivil serah memorandum bantah RUU Majlis Keselamatan Negara

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Sumber: The Malaysian Insider

AmbigaSreenevasan-MkiniKumpulan mesyuarat sivil, diketuai bekas pengerusi bersama Bersih 2.0 Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan menyerahkan memorandum bantahan kepada Putrajaya berhubung Rang Undang-undang Majlis Keselamatan Negara 2015 yang akan dibentangkan di Dewan Rakyat, hari ini.

Mereka berpendapat, rang undang-undang itu akan memberi kesan buruk kepada rakyat Malaysia.

“Kami membantah cara ia digegaskan di Parlimen supaya diluluskan.

“Kesan rang undang-undang ini yang dikenakan terhadap rakyat Malaysia memerlukan pertimbangan yang lebih lanjut dan mendalam,” kata memorandum itu.

Memorandum Persatuan Kebangsaan Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (HAKAM) itu turut menyatakan, mereka mendesak semua ahli Parlimen memenuhi tanggungjawab mereka terhadap rakyat dan Perlembagaan dan membantah rang undang-undang itu.

Bantah-Bil-MKN
MEMORANDUM BERKENAAN
CADANGAN RANG UNDANG-UNDANG
MAJLIS KESELAMATAN NEGARA 2015,
bertarikh 3 Disember 2015
MEMORANDUM ON THE PROPOSED
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL BILL 2015,
dated 3 December 2015
Read more →

Abim bantah rang undang-undang Majlis Keselamatan Negara 2015 – Raimi Rahim

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Sumber: The Malaysian Insider

Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) amat prihatin terhadap isu keselamatan dalam negara dan menyokong usaha terbaik pihak berwajib untuk menangani sebarang aktiviti yang memudaratkan keselamatan negara.

Bagaimanapun Abim menilai sebarang usaha yang dibuat perlu berlandaskan prinsip keadilan sejagat dan kedaulatan undang-undang serta menepati aspirasi demokrasi yang diamalkan dalam negara.

Abim merujuk kepada Fasal 5 Rang Undang-undang Majlis Keselamatan Negara 2015 meletakkan kuasa besar kepada Majlis dipertanggungjawabkan yang dinyatakan seperti berikut:“Walau apa pun mana-mana undang-undang bertulis yang lain, Majlis hendaklah mempunyai kuasa untuk melakukan segala benda yang perlu atau suai manfaat bagi atau berkaitan pelaksanaan fungsinya”.

Selain itu, merujuk kepada Fasal 6 Rang Undang-undang Majlis Keselamatan Negara 2015 tersebut menyenaraikan keanggotaan Majlis tersebut yang terdiri daripada pihak eksekutif dipengerusikan perdana menteri dan dibantu timbalannya serta beberapa menteri lain.

Ini secara jelas memberi kuasa terlalu besar kepada badan eksekutif dalam mengambil tindakan aspek keselamatan tanpa melibatkan institusi lain seperti legislatif dan kehakiman. Read more →