KUALA LUMPUR: If the act of showing disrespect and mocking the royal institution is allowed to continue, it is feared that loyalty to the king and the country will not be upheld among the people as well as destroying the institution itself.
The incumbent Institution of the Malay Rulers Chair at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Prof Dr Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz (pix) said those who were motivated to make a statement that could incite hatred should be made to face legal consequences.
She said the issue of belittling the royal institution seemed to be on the rise, especially on social media, using freedom of speech as an excuse.
âThe right to freedom of expression is guaranteed in the constitution which allows us to question the exercise of power or ask about the merits or demerits of an action taken by anyone including the royal institution, however, there are limits.
âIf the freedom of speech is made with a tendency to incite and further promote hatred towards the royal institution, then it does not belong to freedom of speech, but it is an offence under the law,â she said in the Koresponden programme entitled âKedaulatan Institusi Diraja Tidak Wajar Dipermainkan (Sovereignty of Royal Institutions Should Not Be Mocked), which was aired on Bernama TV here, yesterday.
Shamrahayu said there was only one law in Malaysia so far that was effective for the offence, namely the Sedition Act, however, it was often questioned and touted as an act that restricted freedom.
âWhen enforced, many say that the law restricts freedom and so on, when in fact it is not something that is outside of the constitutional framework, it is allowed by the constitution according to the provisions in Article 10 Clause (4), for example.
âThe best thing to do is to continue enforcing the law in an effective and efficient manner,â she said.
Shamrahayu said she believed that the negative attitude stemmed from the social changes that took place in the society due to the influence of globalisation and their excitement over the values of rationalism from abroad, to the point of willing to throw insults at the royal institution.
She said this had caused some community members to be cynical not only towards the security forces or Parliament for example, but the cynicism had now spread to the monarchy itself.
âWe are not saying that the royal institution is infallible or cannot be reprimanded, but do not be excited by the concept of liberal democracy which is not exemplary to the heritage institution and ignore its own legislation.
âAs citizens who respect the Rukun Negara, who uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and practise the Rule of Law, then if a decree does not violate the constitution or any law in any matter whether it is related to politics, then it is necessary for us to obey it,â she said. -Bernama
