Comments for DNA Bill tabled and opened for debate despite opposition protests at http://www.malaysianbar.org.my , comment 0 to 1 out of 1 comments http://www.malaysianbar.org.my Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:07:09 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/legal/general_news/dna_bill_tabled_and_opened_for_debate_despite_opposition_protests.html#pc_7735 My fellow lawyers I now see that this criminal law-related Bill will have retrospective effect. Does this not go against the rule of law we uphold? Here is what I wrote way back on July 21: ONLY BACK-DATING WILL CRYSTALLISE FEAR Written by Stephen Tan Ban Cheng, 21 July, 2008 at 05:18 am Almost all Bills before Parliament, when passed into Acts, normally take prospective and not retrospective effect. In the case of crimes especially, the effect is prospective and normally its coming into force is never back-dated. The fear expressed by Nanyang that it is indeed aimed at Anwar Ibrahim or PKR will only crystallise if the coming into force of the Act is back-dated. I doubt back-dating of the entry into force of the Act will happen, although admittedly politics is the art of the possible. Stephen Tan Ban Cheng - Stephen Tan Ban Cheng Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:53:35 +0100