KUALA LUMPUR: The National Security Council (MKN) (Amendment) Bill 2019 was withdrawn on Wednesday to carry out further studies following differing views on the legislation. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said further studies
have to be conducted to incorporate ideas presented to the government.
“We found there were many differences in opinions and the law has to be studied to include ideas brought to us,” he told reporters at Parliament lobby yesterday.
The MKN (Amendment) Bill 2019 and the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2019 which were scheduled for second reading and debate at Dewan Rakyat were withdrawn on Wednesday.
Asked how soon the amendment Bill would be tabled again, Dr Mahathir said he could not say when but hoped it would be settled as soon as possible.
On efforts to abolish the Sedition Act 1948, Dr Mahathir said the government was in the process of drafting a new Bill to replace the Act.
“Firstly, we have to withdraw the legislation. For the new law, we are in the process of rearranging it,” he said and added that it
would be carried out as soon as possible. Dr Mahathir said the government was also looking into the impact of the Johor state government’s decision to maintain the limit for youth at 40 years.
“We have to study whether the reason given is acceptable,” he was commenting on the Johor state government’s stand which was reported to be keeping the limit on youth age to 40 years until the amendments of Youth Societies and Youth Development Act 2007 is gazetted in 2021.
On July 3, Dewan Rakyat passed the Youth Societies and Youth Development (Amendment) Bill 2019 with the aim of reducing the age limit of youth from 40 to 30 years. – Bernama
