PUTRAJAYA, Dec 30 — The Pakatan Harapan government will retain the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) to preserve the country’s safety, said Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin, who is also home minister, said the preventive detention law was necessary despite its shortcomings.
However, he stressed that the repealed Internal Security Act (ISA), which had far broader preventive detention powers, will not be reintroduced.
“Some had asked to bring back ISA but this was abolished in 2012 and it was not during our time. But we do not intend to bring back... because after ISA, we have Sosma.
“There were those who asked for Sosma to be abolished... although we find that there is a need for it to be amended, but such security laws are still important and must be defended,” he said in his winding-up speech on the final day of the PPBM annual general meeting here.
Muhyiddin said authorities needed such laws in order to preserve security.
“If we don’t have such laws, then there will be some parties that will assume that this country is too free and they can do as they like.
“There are those who are a threat to national security if they are in terrorist groups or they are surrounded by big gangsters. In the end, it will bring a bad impact on the people and the country,” he said, adding that things are also still under control with two other security acts, the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (POCA) and Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).
Muhyiddin added that the country remains in a safe state and has been safer since under the Pakatan Harapan rule.
