Pakatan to blame for Evidence Act amendment, says Chua

It is not the government to blame for putting Section 114A into the Evidence act 114A, the MCA said today, but Pakatan Rakyat - for failing to stop it.

"This amendment was approved in Parliament, passed in Parliament, where politicians from both sides of the political divide are involved - BN and Pakatan Rakyat.

"They didn't request for a division of vote, so it passed through Dewan Rakyat, Dewan Negara, and it is now gazetted," MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said.

Chua said the opposition did not oppose the amendment to the Evidence act, and it did not question it.

He said the amendment went through easily, despite Pakatan's objections to it now, and despite the ongoing campaign to raise awareness about Section 114A, which is heavily supported by the opposition.

"The same people who passed the amendment are now questioning it. This is what we call political dishonesty.

"The opposition should have voiced its objections and called for block voting," he said.

'Opposition went along with it'

Responding to a question on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's tweet that the matter would be discussed by the cabinet, Chua maintained that it had been, and in the full presence of the opposition.

"We were briefed and there was a full discussion. The outcome was that this was debated in Parliament with the opposition.

"It was passed in Parliament, without the opposition calling for a division in vote. In other words, they went along with it," the MCA president added.

In recent days, Pakatan, as well as prominent groups such as the Centre for Independent Journalism, have pledged to put an end to the Evidence Act amendment that was gazetted on July 31.

The groups maintain that the amendment presumes guilty owners of online networks that are misused by others.

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/206529