IPOH, July 9 — Vince Tan today blamed Pakatan Harapan (PH) for Muslim preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin’s jail sentence after the latter was convicted of sedition against Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor.
The Damansara political education director of the ruling party’s Youth wing said Wan Ji, who is a PKR member, would be free if PH had abolished the 1948 law as promised when it was elected into power last year.
“The offence of sedition should no longer be in the statute books as PH has expressed intentions to repeal the said legislation,” Tan said in a statement.
“However, despite more than a year of coming into power, nothing has been done and the decision convicting Wan Ji came before the Parliament could repeal the Sedition Act,” he lamented.
But Tan also said that the High Court should have taken into consideration the government’s plan to do away with the Sedition Act.
The High Court in Shah Alam today rejected Wan Ji’s appeal against his conviction for making seditious remarks against Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah seven years ago.
High Court judge Abdul Halim Aman also increased Wan Ji’s original prison sentence from nine months to a year.
Tan also said that Wan Ji, who is a well known political activist and member of PKR, should not fall victim to the politics behind repealing of the Sedition Act.
“Freedom of speech does not need any monetary consideration for a legislation promoting it to be tabled in Parliament.
“There should be no excuse of not having the means to repeal the Sedition Act as compared to state obligation to promote economic, cultural and social rights, which need time and money to implement such policies,” he said.
Tan said that PH must keep its promise to repeal the Sedition Act 1984 and not further disappoint its supporters and voters.
“The government needs to expedite its effort repeal the said legislation to ensure that freedom of speech enshrined under Article 10 (1)(a) of the Federal Constitution is given its proper effect to the country,” he said.
