Sosma Re-tabling “A Dangerous Precedent”, Bandar Kuching MP Slams Gov’t For Tabling Defeated Motions In Parliament

The government sought to extend the enforcement of sub-section 4(5) for another five years after July 31 this year.

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Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has criticised the government for re-tabling the now passed motion allowing for the 28-day detention period under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) in Dewan Rakyat, claiming that it is a “dangerous precedent”.

According to Free Malaysia Today, Kelvin said that the motion to extend a pre-trial detention clause under the Act had been rejected by the lawmakers in the past sitting.

“Today’s (yesterday) act has created a dangerous precedent as it will only create a practice where the government would just keep re-tabling its defeated motions until the Parliament wills it,” he said in his Tweet.

We stood up to go against the government's move to re-table SOSMA after they failed in the previous round.Todays act has created a dangerous precedent as it will only create d practice where the gov would just keep re-tabling its defeated motions until the Parliament wills it. pic.twitter.com/xrKbmUI1Nq
— Kelvin yii (@Kelvinyii88) July 20, 2022

The motion was re-tabled by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, which seeks to enforce sub-section 4(5) of the Sosma Act 2012 for another five years after July 31 this year.

In a bloc vote in Dewan Rakyat yesterday, the motion to extend the provision under the Sosma Act was passed when 105 MPs voted in favour while 83 lawmakers were against it, with the remaining 32 MPs absent during the voting.

Hamzah had tabled the motion last March, however, the government’s motion was defeated when the results of a bloc vote showed only 84 members of Parliament were in favour of the motion, with 86 MPs voting against it.

50 MPs were not present during the voting, with Hamzah claiming that several government MPs even exited the Dewan Rakyat just before the voting session

“I was not very happy because some of them were already in the Dewan Rakyat, I can name those who just walked out during the bloc vote. That’s not fair,” lamented the Larut MP.

When asked why the pro-government MPs left Dewan Rakyat before the bloc vote took place, Hamzah sarcastically said “Because they do not like my face.”