However, he said there will not be any amendments to the Act for now.

“For Sosma, there are certain sections and clauses that cannot remain forever and consideration should be given (for their review) from time to time. But, at this moment, I say no, because I have only been here (in the home ministry) for two weeks.

“Laws are dynamic, not static, and that’s why we have a Parliament to enact and amend existing laws. That’s the mechanism in our country.

“Does it need to be amended now? No. That’s my principle and I will be keeping to it for now,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

On Tuesday, Saifuddin indicated that the government would not be reviewing Sosma after he defended the controversial Act by saying “the law allows the court process to take place”.

He said this was in contrast to the now-defunct Internal Security Act (ISA), which allowed for detention without trial, and the emergency ordinances (EO) which allowed for detention of up to 60 days.

Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo urged the minister to reconsider his stance on the law, saying it was at odds with the position taken by Pakatan Harapan in the past.

The DAP deputy chairman and former minister said PH’s stance had been that Sosma was “problematic and needs to be dealt with”, adding that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in 2019 that certain parts of Sosma needed to be amended as the law was “too harsh”.

Rights groups and former Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah have also urged Saifuddin to reconsider his position. Maria, the former Bersih chief, was arrested in November 2016 under Sosma – a day before the Bersih 5 rally.