When democracy and human rights activists are regarded as bigger threats than ISIS terrorists as envisaged by the monstrous NSC Bill, Malaysia is replacing Myanmar as the rogue nation in ASEAN

The monstrous National Security Council (NSC) Bill made history of sorts when it spearheaded a European Parliament motion condemning human rights violations in Malaysia even before it became law – as it has still to be passed by the Dewan Negara expected on Tuesday, given the Royal Assent and gazetted before it joins the statute list for the most pernicious and infamously bad laws in Malaysia.

The European Parliament on Thursday passed a resolution deploring the slew of human rights violations in the country and called for the withdrawal of the NSC
Bill which were rushed through the Dewan Rakyat on the last day of Parliament on Dec. 3 in a late-night sitting without adequate prior notice or consultation with MPs and the civil society.

Even the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) was kept out in the cold and was completely in the dark about the NSC Bill although Suhakam was tasked by Parliament with the statutory duties of promoting and protecting human rights.

Why have a Suhakam when it was not consulted and even did not know that such a monstrous and pernicious NSC bill was in the works – making a total mockery of human rights, democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution as professed by the Najib government?

The Najib Government has been fork-tongued on the NSC Bill, assuring the Malaysian public that it was formulated to combat the threat of terrorism, but telling a very different story to UMNO leaders, causing the Wanita UMNO leader, Datuk Shahrizat Jalil to defend the NSC Bill at the Wanita UMNO Assembly last week as necessary to deal with “anti-government elements” who want to topple the government under the “guise of democracy, human rights and freedom”.

The European Parliament resolution is proof that even the international community is not convinced that the NSC Bill was aimed to combat terrorism and not designed to arm the Prime Minister with undemocratic powers to undermine the democratic process just to protect his own political position.

When the Najib government regards democracy and human rights activists as bigger threats than ISIS terrorists as envisaged by the monstrous NSC Bill, Malaysia is replacing Myanmar as the rogue nation in ASEAN.

The Najib government must convince Malaysians and the world that the NSC Bill does not have an ulterior objective to combat human rights and democracy to preserve the political position of the Prime Minister and the UMNO/BN government, but is a genuine legislation to combat terrorism, especially with reports that 123 Malaysians are linked to the Daesh (ISIS) terrorists, with 66 of them in Syria, and with some 50,000 supporters of ISIS in Malaysia.

The Prime Minister should direct that the NSC Bill be withdrawn from Senate tomorrow for it to be duly amended for the new powers to to deal specifically with terrorism, park the National Security Council under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015, and remove all unconstitutional provisions which usurped the constitutional powers of the Yang di Pertuan Agong, the Cabinet and the 13 State Governments.