©New
Straits Times (Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council expressed shock and disappointment that the
authorities had charged Raja Petra Kamaruddin under the Sedition Act, which they
claimed was outdated.
Council president Datuk S. Ambiga said: "In the past, the
council has commended the opening up of democratic space in this country.
"However, the use of the Sedition Act and other repressive legislation such as
the Official Secrets Act, Internal Security Act, the Printing Presses and
Publications Act and the Police Act is disconcerting."
Ambiga said the use of the Act shows a severe encroachment on the fundamental
freedoms stated in the Constitution.
"With the World Press Freedom Day just over on May 3, the use of the Sedition
Act is incompatible with the Home Ministry's recently announced intention to
loosen the annual licensing requirements for newspapers.
"The Bar Council had hoped that this indicated the first of many reforms that would announce a new era of openness and transparency."