Day: December 4, 2015

Safeguard Malaysia’s constitutional democracy: Oppose the National Security Council Bill – Aliran

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Source: Aliran

Media Statement

Source: Mkini

Source: Mkini

Aliran is shocked that the government of the day has suddenly tabled and passed the National Security Council Bill 2015 in Parliament.

The haste with which this unclear bill was passed, without prior consultation with civil society and even parliamentarians, shows a total lack of respect for our constitutional democracy and due process.

At the heart of the bill is the concentration of power in an unaccountable council, headed by the prime minister as chairman, and comprising those who had been appointed by him and reporting directly to him i.e. the deputy prime minister as deputy chairman, the minister of defence, the minister of home affairs, the minister of communications and multimedia, the chief secretary to the government, the chief of defence forces and the inspector-general of police.

Disturbingly, the notion of national security and the scope of authority are not defined and therefore are open to abuse by the NSC. Read more →

A year after RCI report, Sabah leaders ask why nothing’s been done

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

RCI-report-Sabah-illegal-immigrants

Pic taken from The Star Online

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 4 — Local leaders are pressing the state and federal governments to explain the apparent inaction over Sabah’s perennial problem with illegal immigrants despite the release of report by a royal inquiry on the subject a year ago.

Politicians from both sides of the divide are complaining of the lack of action since the release of the findings by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), with some claiming the entire investigation to be just a ruse with no substance and authority to solve the issue.

“The people of Sabah are obviously not happy with the progress following the RCI report. It has been a year now and looks like the people do not know what happened or which direction the committee is heading for and what recommendations they are making.

“We must be transparent over this monstrous issues that has bedevilled the people of Sabah for decades,” said Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup when contacted by Malay Mail Online. Read more →

Najib can use security law to hold on to power, says think tank

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Source: The Malaysian Insider

Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan says the huge concentration of power in the prime minister’s hands under the security law is a concern, adding that it can be used to hold on to power. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 4, 2015.

Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers have failed the people by supporting the National Security Council (NSC) Bill passed in Parliament last night, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) said, calling it a “dark day in Malaysia’s history”.

Ideas chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan said he was particularly worried about the huge concentration of power in the prime minister’s hands under the bill, adding that it could be used to hold on to power.

“Just imagine if someone holding that top post were in the process of being kicked out from power either by his own party or by the voters.

“I am worried if he can use this Act to keep himself in power just for the sake of staying in power.

“I condemn this atrocious action by the government,” Wan Saiful said, calling for the bill to be withdrawn. Read more →

MCMC abused to safeguard Putrajaya, says lawyers’ group

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Source: The Malaysian Insider

It will be hard to dispute that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is being misused to safeguard Putrajaya’s image, rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) said today, referring to recent actions taken by the regulatory body against government critics.

LFL executive director Eric Paulsen said it was “extremely irresponsible” of MCMC to keep investigating posting on social media deemed offensive to the prime minister and the administration, especially when they were not “real crimes”.

“It would be extremely irresponsible for the MCMC to keep investigating such postings when these are not real crimes but mere political or social postings, unlike Internet fraud and scams which they should be focusing on,” he said in a statement. Read more →

We condemn passage of National Security Council bill, urge reforms in lawmaking — ICJ

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

DECEMBER 4 — The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) condemned the passage of the National Security Council bill by Malaysia’s House of Representatives today. The passage of the bill underlines the need to establish reforms in the lawmaking processes in the country. The ICJ calls on the Government of Malaysia to undertake these reforms immediately.

The bill, hastily tabled at the House of Representatives on 1 December 2015 by the Government, was passed by a vote of 107 in favour and 77 against the proposal.

Members of the ruling party, Barisan Nasional, voted overwhelmingly in its favour. The vote took place despite repeated calls from Malaysian civil society, opposition lawmakers, and human rights advocates to delay consideration to allow for extensive debate and adequate consultations on the draft legislation.

The ICJ deplored the manner in which the government steamrolled the bill to passage. Read more →

NSC Bill usurps the powers and discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong — Concerned Lawyers for Justice

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

Source: Mkini

Source: Mkini

DECEMBER 4 — The news that the Dewan Rakyat has approved the National Security Council Bill 2015 (the Bill) on the night of December 3, 2015, [1] was received with great and grave concern by the Concerned Lawyers for Justice (CLJ).

The Bill, now awaiting tabling at the Upper House and Royal Assent, once operates as a law, would give unprecedented, almost absolute and concentrated power, to the Prime Minister through a newly created body called the National Security Council (NSC). It will in effect trump many fundamental safe-guards guaranteed by the Federal Constitution, and most glaringly, the Bill has the tendency to allow the NSC and the Prime Minister to usurp upon the powers and discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) being the Supreme Head of the Federation [2] and the armed forces. [3] Read more →

Roundup on TPPA cost-benefit analysis by consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

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Pic taken from FMT News

Pic taken from FMT News

Source: The Malay Mail Online

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