KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — The Home Ministry (KDN) will begin the process of amending the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA), with the matter approved in principle by the Cabinet on Friday (February 6).
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the proposed amendments would introduce a classification system based on the seriousness of an offence to determine bail eligibility.
Bail would not be proposed for offences carrying prison sentences of 20 to 30 years, while for lesser offences, discretion would be given to the court or to the recommendation of the Deputy Public Prosecutor.
“KDN will hold engagement sessions, studies and discussions, with the hope that the amendments can be tabled in this House during the July or August sitting,” he said when winding up the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address on behalf of the ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Responding to Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh's query on whether the government would impose a moratorium during the amendment process, Saifuddin said the matter had not been discussed.
On citizenship matters, he said that since December 2022, KDN has resolved 52,444 citizenship applications, reducing the backlog to 3,738 cases as of December 31 last year.
“The ministry has committed to informing applicants of the outcome within one year, compared with the previous timeframe of between five and 33 years,” Saifuddin said.
In another development, the police are awaiting technical reports, including pathology, ballistics, and gunshot residue findings, in relation to the fatal shooting of three men in Durian Tunggal, Melaka, before investigation papers are referred back to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) for further instructions.
On November 24 last year, the trio aged between 24 and 29 were shot dead after one of them was alleged to have wielded a machete and injured a policeman at an oil palm plantation in Durian Tunggal.
However, family members of the three suspects denied the allegations, prompting police to form a special investigation team. The AGC later ordered the case to be reclassified as a murder investigation.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting continues tomorrow.
