SPECIAL COMMITTEE REVIEW OF SOSMA GOOD PROGRESS, TARGET TO TABLE AMENDMENTS BY JULY 2025

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) welcomes the Home Ministry’s commitment to reviewing key aspects of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA), and the establishment of a Special Committee to refine the proposed amendments.

We, however, emphasise that the SOSMA amendments must be tabled in the July parliamentary sitting without postponement. For a balanced and rights-based approach, it is crucial that the Special Committee includes critical non-government stakeholders—such as civil society organisations (CSOs) and criminologists —alongside ministry representatives and law enforcement. Limiting discussions to security agencies alone risks the serious right to fair trial violations enabled by SOSMA being unaddressed.

As the Special Committee deliberates on the proposed amendments, the rights of detainees must remain a primary consideration. For the establishment of a special SOSMA court as a critical measure to address case backlogs, for instance, a review of due process safeguards, including evidentiary standards, can be concurrently undertaken to ensure that fair trial rights are strengthened for detainees.

SUARAM looks forward to concrete steps from the Home Ministry in ensuring an inclusive, timely and transparent review process of SOSMA, leading to meaningful amendments tabled by the July parliamentary sitting. The government's early efforts in 2023 to consult multisectoral stakeholders about the SOSMA amendments were a crucial step forward - the momentum that was recently regained must now be translated into decisive action.