KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — It is not seditious for the public to lodge complaints against those who disregard the rule of law, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wrote on his blog, Chedet, today.

He said it was disturbing to see blatant breaches of the law being perpetrated in the mistaken belief that immunity has somehow been accorded and that action will not be taken by the authorities.

"In other words the rule of law has been ignored and the results are predictable. The citizens suffer from injustices. Businesses cannot be done properly. Property has been seized. Unusual and illegal actions have been perpetrated,” Tun Dr Mahathir said.

"This being so, public complaints against such actions are legitimate and do not breach any law. They will not be considered as sedition in any way. They will be regarded as free speech.  Citizens can make reports on these matters or openly speak about them.”

He said one of the most most important objectives of Pakatan Harapan when it struggled to overthrow the kleptocratic government of Datuk Seri Najib Razak was the restoration of the rule of law.

"Najib had ignored the law when it suited him. In fact the laws were abused in order to oppress the people. Instead of protecting the people, the laws exposed the people to unknown but real fears,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said the basic law of Malaysia is the Federal Constitution, explaining that it is a comprehensive body of laws which determined the legal structure of Malaysia from the Yang Di Pertuan Agong to the Rulers of the States, to the Federal and State Governments and the bodies empowered to rule and enforce.

"All other laws are derived from the constitution. No law which in any way negates the constitution may be promulgated.

"The Rule of Law applies to everyone from the Rulers to the Prime Minister and Ministers, to the civil servants and ordinary citizens,” he said.

Dr Mahathir pointed out that there are no provisions which exempt anyone from the rule of law, adding that even the Rulers too must respect the law as there is a special court for them.

He said that the rule of law and the rights of citizens will be upheld by the Pakatan Harapan government.