KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 – The opposition parties today failed to stop the amendment of the 1948 Sedition Act from being tabled at the Parliament when the government insisted on tabling the Act for the second and third reading.Before the debating session started, Puchong Member of Parliament Gobind Singh Deo raised the rules under the Standing Order 36 (2) where the Parliament cannot mention any matter that is still being considered by the court if the Speaker believe it would damage the interest of the parties involved.
He said this in referring to Universiti Malaya lecturer Dr Azmi Sharom’s legal suit which challenged the Sedition Act in Federal Court, where the latter said the Act is against the freedom of speech as provided in the Federal Constitution. According to Gobind, if the government insisted on proceeding with the amendment of the Act, it would lead to subjudice to the case. “This debate should be put on hold until the Federal Court has made its decision.
“I believe the tabling of this Bill should be stopped. The Speaker can stop a motion from being debated,” said Gobind. The Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia after hearing the motion clarified that the debate on the Sedition Act amendment can continue even if there are proceedings relating to the Act in Federal Court. “In my opinion, the Bill can still be debated. I promise I will be present here to listen to all debates relating to the Sedition Act.
“However, I still have the say in determining whether or not a motion can be debated,” he said at the Dewan Rakyat. Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who is responsible for tabling the Bill gave his assurance that the debate is not subjudice. The argument continued for more than an hour where several MPs including the Gombak MP Mohamed Azmin Ali, Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin and Padang Serai MP N. Surendran used the Standing Order 36 (2) according to their own interpretation to stop the Act from being tabled. Zahid managed to table the amendment to the 1948 Sedition Act for a second reading before it was debated at 12.45pm.
