18 February 2016•Update: 20 February 2016
By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
The Malaysian government has been urged to rectify the controversial National Security Council (NSC) Bill 2015 after the new law which grants supreme security powers to the prime minister received royal rebuke Thursday.
Activist Maria Chin Abdullah -- the chair of Malaysia's anti-corruption movement Bersih -- told Anadolu Agency in a text message Thursday that the bill must return to the parliament to amend concerned chapters within the law.
She called for the government to create a new parliamentary select committee to look into yesterday’s call by the Conference of Rulers to refine certain provisions in the bill.
The Conference of Rulers is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors of the other four states. Its main responsibility is the election of the Malaysian king which occurs every five years or when the positions fall vacant.
The Conference also plays a role in amending the Constitution and some other policies, in particular, those laws which have been entrenched, namely those pertaining to the status of the rulers.
Yesterday, after a detailed presentation of the bill to the Conference, the council decided to write to Prime Minister Najib Razak to recommend he amend several provisions of the law.
Abdullah said the concerns of the Conference of Rulers are similar to those of ordinary Malaysians, thus the government should not evade from amending the law this time.
"The rulers have voiced it out. What more does the Malaysian government need?" she questioned.
"I suggest the government bring the law back to the parliament for a detailed deliberation. Later the decision must be presented to the Conference of Rulers before being gazetted into a law."
Both the upper and lower houses of the parliament passed the bill Dec 22, despite protests from opposition lawmakers and civil society groups.
They claim that the bill would grant powers to the prime minister detrimental to the position of the Malaysian king and the Federal Constitution.
Under the bill, the NSC -- which would be chaired by the prime minister -- can take charge of the security forces and declare a designated location as a "security area" which is seen as a security risk to the country.
The declared security area would be valid for six months at a time, subject to renewal by the premier.
Security forces will also posses the right to search or arrest without warrant any individual found committing, alleged to have committed, or reasonably suspected of having committed any offense under written laws in the security area.
