No need to take action under Sedition Act against Dr Mahathir - Saifuddin Nasution

SHAH ALAM, March 22 (Bernama) -- There is no need to take action under the Sedition Act against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the former prime minister’s criticism of the government, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

However, Saifuddin Nasution said he will leave it fully to the police to take appropriate action if necessary.

“For now, I don’t see the need (to take action under the Sedition Act against Dr Mahathir).

“The most important thing is that anyone can express their opinions but never cross the line and touch on matters related to religion, race, and the royal institution,” he told reporters here.

He said this in response to Padang Rengas UMNO division chief Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz who called for action under the Sedition Act to be taken against Dr Mahathir for criticising the current government.

Saifuddin said that his ministry took note of the organisation of a rally and the “Malay Proclamation” event which the former prime minister had been due to attend.

The event was organised following Dr Mahathir’s claim that Malays have lost more power under  the current government administration.

“I believe the people can see for themselves whether the allegations are true...Tun (Dr Mahathir) himself has been in power for 22 years and 22 months. There were a lot of things he could have done to protect the Malays and prevent the things that Tun are concerned about from occurring.

“So it is unwarranted to worry that such a thing has happened during these four months,” he said.

Earlier, Saifuddin attended the Ikon Madani Townhall organised by Yayasan Prihatin Nasional which was attended by about 2,000 Universiti Teknologi Mara and Universiti Pertahanan Awam Nasional students.

-- BERNAMA