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KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Youth leaders from the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) today chorused calls to release Islamic preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin from jail.
They also urged the government to step up efforts to repeal the Sedition Act 1948, which was used to convict the PKR man.
“Pakatan Harapan Youth would like to express our worry, following the High Court's rejection of Wan Ji Wan Hussin's appeal against the conviction and jail sentence handed out under the Sedition Act.
“We understand that the sentence meted out is also too heavy and not in line with the usual penalties for offences under the Sedition Act,” Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Howard Lee, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir and Mohd Sany Hamzan said in a joint statement.
The quartet, each the Youth head of his respective PH component party — Bersatu, DAP, PKR and Amanah — reminded the government that repealing the controversial law was in its GE14 manifesto.
“We want to also reiterate our commitment as stated in the 21st point of the Pakatan Harapan manifesto, to abolish all draconian laws, including the Sedition Act 1948, in the interest of freedom of speech and basic human rights, as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution,” they said.
The four also demanded prosecutors in Wan Ji's case explain their proposal for harsher punishment.
“We also call urge the Federal Government to hasten efforts to abolish the Sedition Act, so that such violation of rights don't reoccur,” they added.
The High Court in Shah Alam yesterday rejected Wan Ji’s appeal against his conviction for making seditious remarks against Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
High Court judge Abdul Halim Aman also increased Wan Ji’s original prison sentence from nine months to a year.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia executive director Sevan Doraisamy also expressed disappointment in the High Court’s decision, stating this stems from the failure of the Pakatan Harapan administration in constitutional reforms.
Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang's political secretary and civil rights lawyer Syahredzan Johan also expressed dissatisfaction on the increased jail term for Wan Ji.
Like the PH Youth leaders, Syahredan too urged the public prosecutor to explain why Wan Ji was handed a heavier jail sentence despite Putrajaya’s stated intention to repeal the Sedition Act.
Syahredzan said that the one-year sentence was not in line with the government’s efforts to repeal the Act.
Other civil society organisations such as the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Beyond Borders, Malaysian Action for Justice and Unity (Maju) and Malaysia Muda also demanded the government repeal the Sedition Act immediately.
Last night, social activists and the civil liberty groups consisting of representatives from Malaysia Muda, Parti Sosialis Malaysia Bersih 2.0, Suara Rakyat Malaysia, student activists and friends of Wan Ji had gathered outside the Kajang Prison complex to protest his imprisonment under the Sedition Act.
Suaram Coordinator Amir Abdul Hadi at the gathering called out those in power to honour their promise to abolish the draconian law.
