Law Minister: Govt stands firm on killing anti-fake news law, Sedition Act

Published on 12 Sep 2019 1:47:58 PM

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said the government is committed to empowering the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and repealing laws such as the Sedition Act and Anti-Fake News Act.

The minister in charge of legal affairs told reporters that after attending a forum to mark the 20th anniversary of Suhakam on Thursday, adding that the government would table a new bill to abolish the Anti-Fake News Act in the next parliamentary session as the one-year cooling period provided for under Article 68 of the constitution was now over.

The motion was passed in the Dewan Rakyat but was rejected by the Dewan Negara last year.

Liew also affirmed the Cabinet decision’s to abolish the Sedition Act although certain provisions would need to be removed and included in the Penal Code.

The law minister also said the provisions on the protection of royal institutions against scandalous remarks are under review.