PETALING JAYA: The Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984 is still needed to ensure public peace, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
In a written reply in the Dewan Negara, Saifuddin said the ministry would conduct studies on all laws from time to time.
He said the latest study on the Act found that it was still relevant in preserving public security and peace “at this time”.
“There is no need for the government to be hasty in abolishing the law. However, the ministry will continue to conduct studies in the future on reviewing the Act in line with current necessities,” he said.
He was replying to Teo Eng Tee, who asked the minister on steps being taken to abolish the Sedition Act and PPPA.
Saifuddin also said the Sedition Act was still a relevant law to ensure public peace and security.
Previously, deputy law and institutional reform minister Ramkarpal Singh said Putrajaya had no plans to abolish the Sedition Act for now, though it was something “perhaps further down the pipeline”.
In its manifesto for last year’s general election, Pakatan Harapan (PH) pledged to review and repeal draconian laws that could restrict free speech, such as the Sedition Act, the Communications and Multimedia Act, and PPPA.
PH had also vowed to abolish the PPPA during its campaign for the 14th general election. It then faced repeated calls to abolish the law from NGOs when it was in power.
However, the PH government was toppled before the Act could be repealed.