KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — An international human rights organisation questioned today Malaysia’s commitment to the fundamental rights that embody a democracy following Parliament’s passage of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Bill.
The proposed law to combat the growing threat of global terrorism was passed without changes after midnight by federal lawmakers in a slim 79-60 vote margin.
“The passage of this law is a giant step backwards for human rights in Malaysia that fundamentally calls into question the government's commitment to basic rights that are critical to the rule of law in a functioning democracy,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
He said the new law allowing preventive detention removes a person’s basic right to lawyers and other legal protections similar to the provisions under the much-criticised Internal Security Act (ISA) which was previously repealed.
“By restoring indefinite detention without trial, Malaysia has re-opened Pandora's Box for politically motivated, abusive state actions that many had thought was closed when the abusive Internal Security Act was revoked in 2012,” Robertson said.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said earlier this month that the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) will not be misused and that the law is needed to curb militant activities in the country.
He also insisted in an interview in Malay weekly Mingguan Malaysia yesterday day that POTA is not an attempt by Putrajaya to replace the ISA that permitted detention without trial, saying that the new law will not be used to clamp down differing political views and ideologies.
