Enough freedom to go around (MMO 22 April 2015)
There has been a proliferation of opinions over the recent tabling and passing of the Sedition (Amendment) Bill 2015. The Bill, now an Act, now merely awaits Royal Assent before being gazetted as law. These opinions, mostly negative, have seen some of those opposed to the Sedition Act quote and give credence, as well as much weightage to their arguments based on comparison with the abolition of sedition laws in various foreign countries, in particular the United Kingdom (UK). In this article, the author specifically refers to the response by the United Kingdom & Eire Malaysian Law Students’ Union (KPUM) published in the Malay Mail Online on April 16 titled “How the British abolished their sedition laws.” In gist, the article by KPUM speaks of the British origin of Malaysian sedition laws and does a fair bit of work engaging and expanding on the history of sedition law in the UK as well as how the British have evolved away from their brand of sedition law to enable live...