KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians will not be criminalized or arrested for criticizing the government, Prime Minister Najib Razak's Minister in the PM's office Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said in responding to questions on the new National Harmony Act that will replace the recently canceled Sedition Act of 1948. The move has already seen activists and bloggers speak out in favor of the move, saying it is a step in the right direction for the country. The move, said Bersih 3.0 activist Aziz Ahmad Mahammad, “is a good idea that could help make Malaysia a truly modern country." For him, who has been roughed up by police and seen friends detained for speaking out, the move is a positive step toward reform. “We are definitely happy about the move, but what we want to see is what will come of the things they put in its place," he added. “It really depends on what happens next." Malaysia's Prime Minister Razak announced on Wednesday the repeal of the colonial-era Sedition Act 1948, marking another milestone in a wide-ranging series of reforms designed to “promote Malaysia's development into a mature, modern and progressive democracy." In a speech at the Attorney General's Chambers on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister said that the Sedition Act will be repealed and replaced with the National Harmony Act. The new act, the PM argued, will “safeguard the right" to freedom of speech while protecting national unity by preventing the incitement of religious or ethnic hatred. Abdul Aziz said under the Sedition Act, free speech was not permitted. “The Sedition Act has a provision of not allowing the raising of anger against the government, but now we have discarded it as criticism leveled at the government and leaders is legitimate under the freedom of speech guaranteed under the Constitution. “We should face the criticisms by the people as this will serve as a check and balance for the government to realize its weaknesses,” he told reporters on Friday.
