KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — Voters in 23 parliamentary constituencies where Barisan Nasional lawmakers barely made it should punish their lawmakers for “blindly” voting for controversial amendments to the Sedition Act 1948, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said today.

He said the most effective way to teach the ruling BN coalition a lesson is to target MPs who won on razor-thin margins in the last national polls.

“We call upon all Malaysians who are disgusted with the behaviour of the BN Government who treated the legislative arm with complete and utter contempt to make their protest heard,” Pua said in a statement.

Citing a list published by news portal Malaysiakini, the Petaling Jaya-Utara MP said there are 11 BN lawmakers who can realistically be given the boot through a concerted campaign by voters over the next two to three years, having won their seats with majorities of under 1,000 votes.

This includes Anyi Ngau (Baram, 194 vote majority), Datuk Mah Siew Keong (Teluk Intan, 238), Datuk Chua Tee Yong (Labis, 353), Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (Bentong, 379), Datuk Noriah Kasnon (Sungai Besar, 399), Datuk Irmohizam Ibrahim (Kuala Selangor, 460), Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun (Beaufort, 672), Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub (Machang, 805), Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani (Titiwangsa, 806), Normala Abdul Samad (Pasir Gudang, 935) and Tan Sri Annuar Musa (Ketereh, 974).

Pua said eight others who won on majorities of less than 2,000 votes could also be replaced with “the right amount of effort” — Datuk Wan Mohammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad (Kuala Kangsar, 1,082), Noor Azmi Ghazali (Bagan Serai, 1,140), Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (Arau, 1,371), Datuk Ahmad Fauzi Zahari (Setiawangsa, 1,392), Datuk Seri Hilmi Yahaya (Balik Pulau, 1,539), Khoo Soo Seang (Tebrau, 1,767), Datuk Abd Aziz Sheikh Fadzir (Kulim Bandar Baru, 1,871) and Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (Sabak Bernam, 1,890).

He also urged voters to lobby against four MPs who won with majorities of over 2,000 votes by virtue of the split in votes due to multi-cornered contests — Tan Sri Joseph Kurup (Pensiangan), Nogeh Gumbek (Mas Gading), Datuk Ewon Ebin (Ranau) and Datuk Raime Unggi (Tenom).

“Ordinary voters of these constituencies can write to their respective MPs to demand that they explain why they had allowed such undemocratic and unjust laws to be passed in the Malaysian Parliament.

“Let them know that you will be taking concrete actions to campaign, inform and persuade your fellow voters to vote against them in the next general election.

“It doesn’t take much.  A 1,000-vote swing in each of these constituencies will see all of the above 23 seats in question fall.  That’s just one vote to switch every day for the next three years in each seat.  That, with a handful of other seats, will be enough to confine Barisan Nasional to the opposition bench for the first time in Malaysian history,” Pua said.

Amendments to the colonial-era law that were passed in the lower house of Parliament last week decriminalise criticisms against the government and the judiciary.

The amendments, however, also now make it an offence to incite “ill will, hostility or hatred” on religious grounds, while maintaining prohibitions on sparking such sentiments on racial grounds or exciting disaffection against the rulers.

Critics have accused the government of using the Sedition Act to quell dissent, as the sedition dragnet has seen lawyers, opposition lawmakers, activists and even journalists being investigated, charged or convicted under the law last year.