PUTRAJAYA: Home minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) 2013 Bill passed by the Dewan Rakyat yesterday was not just to uphold the basic rights of minority groups but also to affirm that the society had the right to be protected.
“We asked in parliament yesterday what are the basic rights of those who were the victims, why shouldn’t they be protected. What about police who are shot dead by criminals, what are their rights, why defend the rights of the secret society heads and members only,” he said yesterday when asked to comment on the bill.
He was met at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre where the 3rd General Police and Special Equipment Exhibition and Conference Asia 2013 was being held.
Zahid stressed that while basic human rights should be upheld in law, it was also crucial to embrace the overall aspect of the amendments which centred on crime prevention and eradication.
According to him, the bill was needed to ensure that protection of the society at large was the utmost priority of the police.
“We do not reject totally the views of the opposition, particularly from opposition members of parliament who have legal background and are law practitioners; we will consider the clauses that they felt needed to be reviewed,” he assured.
Meanwhile, Zahid said the amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) were not targeted at certain racial groups. — Bernama