'I don't agree when SOSMA is misused' - Muhyiddin

UMNO Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said his stand regarding SOSMA (Security Offences [Special Measures] Act) remained the same.

He said this in reference to statements made by several quarters who claimed that he contradicted his own stand where he supported SOSMA during his time in Cabinet and the tabling of the Act in Parliament.

“My stand has never changed. I support SOSMA if it deals with offences which threaten peace and public harmony.

“I disagree with the misuse of SOSMA when goes against it original purpose as in the arrest of Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Matthias Chang,” said Muhyiddin in a statement today.

He said that the action taken by the duo in reporting the misconduct of the government-owned strategic development company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to any quarter within or out of the country cannot be seen as an act of sabotage under Section 124L of the Penal Code, a security breach which enables the use of SOSMA.

READ: 10 things you need to know about SOSMA

Characterising the action as a form of responsibility by a fellow citizen, Muhyiddin stressed that his standings is parallel to the government’s guarantee during the enactment of the Act.

It had earlier been guaranteed that the Act will not be misused for other purposes, especially those which are politically motivated and against freedom of expression.

“Is 1MDB so immune that those who criticise and report against it will be charged in court? A rational thinker will definitely ask who is actually sabotaging the banking system and the country’s financial services.

“(Is it) those who lodge reports to the authorities to investigate the wrongdoings of 1MDB or those who cause billions of the peoples’ money to disappear? Should UMNO leaders remain quiet in this matter and work together with the masterminds?” said Muhyiddin.