Sedition charge against Prof Azmi restricts academic freedom - Saifuddin

The sedition charge against University of Malaya law professor Azmi Sharom suppresses academic freedom, said Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

“Academic freedom is sacred in any most parts of the world, at least in the democratic ones.

"We should be upholding academic freedom to encourage university lecturers to become public intellectuals, who don’t only speak to his peers but also to the public whether it is through the media, conferences, seminar or publishing," he said at the at the #mansuhaktahasutan campaign launch and forum at the Malaysian Bar Council last night.

On Monday, Azmi was charged with sedition for remarks pertaining to the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis published in an online news portal on Aug 14, which he claimed was made based on academic discourse.

Saifuddin, at the forum, also voiced his concern over the sudden increase of persecution using the Sedition Act 1948.

“There have been concerns that the Act has been abused for selective persecution.

"Instead of having conversations where public sphere is wider, we are experiencing a conversation where a culture of fear is escalated," the National Unity Consultative Council's (NUCC) member said.

"When there is fear - where scholars no longer speak up and public figures keep quiet - my worry is that this intensified crackdown on dissent would then give space to people who may want to 'rewrite' the constitution through back door channels, because no one is stopping them.

“While I don’t mean literal re-writing of the constitution, it’s about interpreting certain provisions. Because fear has strike to a certain extent that everybody keeps quiet. Then, you can unconsciously create a space where people can do that," Saifuddin said.

The #mansuhaktahasutan campaign, organised by the National Young Lawyers Committee of the Malaysian Bar Council, is a year-long initiative aimed at pressing the federal government to fulfil its promise to abolish the Sedition Act 1948.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, on July 11, 2012, had pledged to repeal the Act and replace it with the National Harmony Act.

"The rakyat should encourage him to do it. Not everyone around Najib is on the same page with him. If he wants to do it, then the people should give their support," Saifuddin added.