KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — The Sedition Act is no longer relevant as it was originally drafted to combat communism, said Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh.

The DAP lawmaker said the Act was enacted by the British colonial government in 1948 and as the threat of communism no longer exists, the legislation was no longer needed.

“Its (Sedition Action) purpose to combat the communist threat at the time has ended. In my opinion, this Act is no longer relevant, and it was misused by the previous government,” he told Bernama Radio this afternoon.

However, Ramkarpal said certain aspects of the Act should remain, such as provisions that protect the royal institution.

He said it will not be difficult to repeal the Sedition Act as he believed it will be supported in Parliament the same way that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was.

“For me, there is no problem (to repeal the Act), because it certainly will be supported by the government,” he said.

Earlier today, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, who will suggest a moratorium on the Sedition Act to the Cabinet today, said plans to repeal the Act are very much on track.

A moratorium will disallow authorities from using it to arrest anyone for sedition.

In response to sexual harassment issues, Ramkarpal said he had suggested a uniform law that can be applied across the board.

He explained that, currently, there is a definition of sexual harassment under the Employment Act, but it only applied to the private sector.

“In the public sector, we have another regulation, so we have different definitions non-uniformly.

“That’s why, we need to have one definition of sexual harassment, which can be applied by all sectors,” he stressed.

Ramkarpal told Bernama Radio that sexual harassment has reached an alarming level because there are victims who are afraid to speak up due to embarrassment and stigma.

He gave the example of the alleged sexual predator doctor at a public hospital, where 38 complaints were received but more victims refused to file complaints.

“So, that’s why we need a law that can guarantee the confidentiality of the victim’s identity for them to come forward. Without such a law, the issue will persist,” he said.

On September 18, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said a senior doctor, who was accused of being a sexual predator, was suspended for two months from work as investigations revealed that he had made unwanted sexual advances since commencing work at a public hospital in the Klang Valley in 2009.

He also said that his ministry was advised by the Malaysian Medical Council to strip the doctor of his medical licence.