KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The Malaysian Bar urged the federal government today to abolish the Special Offences (Special Measures) Act or Sosma, saying amendments alone could not salvage the law it alleged has already been abused and misused repeatedly.
Calling it an unnecessary law that gave the police arbitrary powers that could substantially erode the rights of an accused person, Malaysian Bar president Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor reiterated his group’s rejection of the security law.
Abdul Fareed said the Bar welcomed the government’s pledge to review the law and acknowledged the need to preserve national security, but stressed that constitutional guarantees and the rule of law must be paramount.
“Sosma as it stands, has no place in a democratic nation and is an affront to the principles of natural justice,” he said in a statement today.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad affirmed the Pakatan Harapan government’s intention to table amendments to laws considered draconian as it was long overdue.
Dr Mahathir’s announcement came at a time where Sosma was invoked against several individuals’ arrests for their alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Yesterday, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the law could be amended to shorten its preventive detention period but did not offer any specifics.
Saying the Bar was ready to help the federal government in this matter, Abdul Fareed reminded the ruling coalition of its election manifesto pledges.
He argued that existing laws such as the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code were sufficient to address terrorism-related offences without denying due process, and these should be enhanced as needed instead of enacting so-called “draconian” legislation.
Abdul Fareed also called for immediate investigation into allegations of mistreatment, torture and intimidation of Sosma detainees, saying such reports reflect poorly on a government that professes adherence to the rule of law.
