KOTA KINABALU, Oct 5 — Datuk Azis Jamman said he is awaiting a police briefing on the force’s continued application of the Sedition Act, following criticism over an Umno man’s arrest for allegedly insulting the prime minister.
Expressing personal rejection of the law, the deputy home minister said he requested Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Fuzi Harun for a complete briefing on the matter.
Azis claimed to have pointed out to the police chief that there were other laws under which they could have investigated Azman Noor Adam, the brother to Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam.
“[Fuzi] said that I will get a briefing from an officer,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the soft launch of the Sabah Job and Entrepreneur Fair here, Azis repeated his personal disagreement with the continued use of the law, but noted that it remained technically in force for as long as it is not repealed.
The deputy minister also stressed that he did not agree with the police’s decision to continue applying the colonial-era law, and called it a tool used by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government to silence dissent.
The Sepanggar MP agreed that Pakatan Harapan (PH) pledged to repeal the law in its election manifesto, but conceded that the police were entitled to investigate offences under the law for as long as it remains.
This also applies to other controversial laws such as Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 and the Anti-Fake News Act 2017, he explained.
“Until it is agreed at the Cabinet level and brought to Parliament to be repealed, it is still an existing law,” he said.
On Lawyers for Liberty advisor N. Surendran, who derided him as unfit to be deputy home minister due to the latest sedition arrest, Azis said it was the prime minister’s prerogative to decide who is qualified for the role.
“It is [Surendran’s] personal opinion... I will take it positively,” he said.
He repeated that he was simply stating the facts when he previously said the Sedition Act remained enforceable for as long as it is not repealed.
Azis said this should be obvious to the lawyer.
“What would he have said if he were asked the question?” he asked.
Azman was arrested on October 2 and remanded under the Sedition Act for allegedly sharing online a post deemed insulting to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He was released on bail yesterday evening.
