KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Federal lawmakers will be included in the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (Poca) discussions before the amendment of any provisions, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today.
He said this is to ensure information and details are accurately explained to the MPs.
“We agreed in the workshop last week that in this engagement session, we will involve as many members of parliament as possible. Because, in the final step, we need to give them accurate information before we move towards making amendments.
“The police need this Poca, although we have several other options but we consider this act to be or enable the police to carry out their duties more effectively. Now there is none, so what do we do, we are going to make amendments. The process has already begun,” he said at a press conference here.
Saifuddin Nasution said the recent engagement session with stakeholders shows the police’s willingness to improve Poca.
“It shows our openness involving various parties and stakeholders including in the matter of improving the Act. Our policy is not to close the door, our policy, we are aware, we need to listen to various parties,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said they also discussed Section four and 15 of Poca, which the Federal Court deemed unconstitutional in 2022, a ruling that violated the doctrine of separation of powers.
“We zoomed in directly to the issue that needs to be discussed, which is in terms of the court’s decision, which ruled that sections four and 15 are unconstitutional because the Federal Court thinks the word ‘cell’ in that section is taking away the court’s authority to decide on remand.
“So as a result throughout the last year, the police as an enforcement agency cannot invoke Poca. So let’s see if the consequences of us not using the Act contribute to the increasing trend of crime.”
On Wednesday, an in-depth engagement session between several parties including the police, NGOs, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, and Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, was held which was aimed at addressing concerns and feedback.
On a separate matter, Saifuddin Nasution confirmed that as of yesterday, five police reports were lodged regarding death threats received by lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid.
“All five were lodged in KL. Four in Sri Hartamas and one in Jinjang,” he said. “The police, I’m sure, will go after them.”
On Wednesday, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid said the police have identified the owners of three social media accounts believed to be linked to threats against Nik Elin Zurina.
