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Free speech in Malaysia: From feudal and colonial periods to the present

Mohd Sani, Mohd Azizuddin (2011) Free speech in Malaysia: From feudal and colonial periods to the present. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 100 (416). pp. 531-546. ISSN 0035-8533

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Abstract

This article attempts to explore the introduction and progress of the idea and concept of free speech in Malaysia.It demonstrates that the idea of freedom and liberty has existed since the feudal period of the Malay Sultanate.However, the idea was very limited owing to constraints imposed by the feudal kings.The people saw the kings as divine figures.When the British colonised the Malay states, they introduced the modern Western concept of free speech.This was later embedded in the Malayan/Malaysian Constitution during the country's independence in 1957 as one of the essential fundamental liberties of the people.However, the British were also responsible for introducing several repressive laws, such as the Printing Presses and Publications Ordinance.The Malaysian government continued this policy after independence to the detriment of the practice of free speech in the country.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Malaysia, freedom of speech, Merdeka, British colonisation, independence, the Malay Sultanate, nationalism, Mahathir Mohamed, Abdullah Badawi, Najib Razak, social contract, Internal Security Act, Sedition Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act, Reid Commission, Malayan emergency
Subjects: J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia
Divisions: College of Law, Government and International Studies
Depositing User: Prof. Dr. Mohd. Azizuddin Mohd Sani
Date Deposited: 23 Oct 2014 04:11
Last Modified: 23 Oct 2014 04:11
URI: https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/12358

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