PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): The Sedition Act 1948 is expected to be abolished this year, says Law Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong.

He said the government had decided in a Cabinet meeting for the act to be abolished and was currently looking into various factors in its the implementation.

“We want to ensure that not necessarily all statements made can be seditious because we want to ensure certain statements can enjoy some form of freedom... but not that we want to allow everybody to simply make statements that defame our rulers and leaders especially,” he told a recent press conference in conjunction with the first anniversary of the Pakatan Harapan government in power here.

After the abolition of the act, Liew said a new formula would be introduced to replace it.

“However, we in Pakatan Harapan do not actually mind if people want to criticise us. Constructive criticism is good for the government because from there we can progress and develop,” he added.

Apart from that, Liew said the government was also looking into the possibility of introducing anti-stalking laws, as the behaviour had become a trend.

On another note, Liew said the Special Cabinet Committee, which was set up to review the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) would come out with a complete report between June and July this year.

Embracing the New Malaysia spirit, the Pakatan Harapan government also committed to upholding the MA63 in which Sabah and Sarawak's status as equal partners to the Peninsula would be restored as stipulated in the agreement. – Bernama