KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — Accused of abandoning its commitment to human rights and reforms post-Election 2013, the Najib administration responded today by recounting the strides it has made in both areas.

Putrajaya pointed to the changes introduced following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s pledge during his Malaysia Day address in 2011, which set off a series of legislative reforms aimed at providing Malaysians greater civil liberties.

“Under Prime Minister Najib Razak, civil liberties have been expanded and outdated laws repealed. Colonial-era security legislation such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) has been replaced with laws appropriate for the 21st century,” a Putrajaya spokesman said in a statement today.

It also highlighted the introduction of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) to afford Malaysians greater freedom to gather peacefully, which it said was demonstrated by the number of uneventful protests and demonstrations held since the general election in May last year.

Putrajaya also insisted that it has relaxed laws on news reporting as well as political involvement.

In a strongly-worded appraisal of Malaysia’s reform and rights agenda yesterday, global rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that efforts in the areas came to an “abrupt” halt after Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition secured power in Election 2013.

BN retained power in the divisive general election but lost further ground and the popular vote to rivals Pakatan Rakyat.

The group went on to say that the government instead set off in the opposite direction to reforms, “curtailing rights rather than respecting them”.

Among the “significant deterioration in human rights” and departure from reforms that the group observed were the reintroduction of preventive detention previously removed with the repeal of the ISA, the prosecution of opposition politicians under the PAA, and continued application of the Sedition Act despite announced plans for its repeal.

“Police also harassed A. Samad Said, Malaysia’s 81-year-old poet laureate and co chair of Bersih 2.0, the civil society coalition working for clean and fair elections,” said HRW referring to Samad’s detention for defending the right to raise the pre independence Sang Saka Malaya flag.

The report further criticised the alleged continued suppression on media freedom, refusal to recognise rights of refugees and asylum seekers and retention of capital punishment against drug traffickers as well as the vilification of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons.

HRW in its 2014 report released in Bangkok yesterday spoke of an urgent need for Malaysian leaders to reverse the slide in reforms the rights group noted.

Putrajaya later reaffirmed its pledge to overhaul the country’s security laws as previously announced by Najib.

“The government remains committed to replacing the Sedition Act, and to continuing the Prime Minister’s reform programme.”