KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Bersih chairman Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz refuted his predecessor’s remark that labelled Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration as the "most dictatorial government”.

He acknowledged Ambiga Sreenevasan’s frustration with the slow pace of reform, noting that her sentiment was shared by civil society organisations, including Bersih.

"But to say that the present government is the ‘most dictatorial’ is seen to be quite extreme,” he said in a statement today.

Faisal went on to recount various points in Malaysia’s history that involved detentions without trial under the repealed Internal Security Act, including during "Ops Lalang” and the post-1998 "Reformasi” era.

He also cited the 1988 constitutional crisis, which led to amendments reducing the powers of the judiciar

"In the latest issue when the government intends to impose licensing laws on social media platforms, Bersih has stressed that it is a move that could potentially be used as a political weapon and so should not be rushed.

"Any government, including the present administration, could transform into a dictatorship unless civil society continues to call for reform,” he said.

He said without reforms, democracy will certainly whither, and even turn regressive.

"Similarly, without a democracy, it will close the space for implementation of reforms based on the people’s aspirations,” he said, adding that Bersih is committed to continuing the struggle for reforms.

"Therefore, the struggle to demand reforms and democracy should go hand-in-hand, realising that both are needed to strengthen the other,” he added.

On Monday, Ambiga, who led Bersih from 2011 to 2013, said she never imagined a Pakatan Harapan-led government would break its promises of reforming archaic laws, including the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984.

Her remarks were in response to a government announcement that all social media and internet messaging services with at least eight million registered users in the country must apply for a licence.