KAJANG: The controversy surrounding the proposed “house arrest” will be laid to rest in Parliament tomorrow, says the Home Minister.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he intends to silence critics who have been harping on the issue and making it appear as though the proposed law is centred around “a particular individual”.
“I believe that my explanation will help clear the air.
“This includes some of the views put forth which, I noticed, seem to be only about a particular individual.
“That is why I feel that clarification is needed. The best platform will be during my ministerial wrap-up in the Dewan Rakyat scheduled tomorrow,” he told reporters after attending a townhall session at the Prison Department Complex here yesterday.
The proposed house arrest was among prison reforms stated in Budget 2025, which was presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, on Oct 18.
Under the proposal, offenders will be required to stay at designated places of detention such as a residential home, care facility or workers’ dormitory throughout their detention period.
The proposal has since drawn flak from various quarters, with some linking it to the convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s recent suit regarding an alleged addendum on house arrest.
The subject of house arrest came under scrutiny following the reduced sentence granted by the Pardons Board to Najib on Feb 2.
In addition to his jail term being halved to six years and the fine lowered to RM50mil from RM210mil, an addendum order was said to have been given to Najib to finish his sentence under house arrest.
On Oct 22, the Court of Appeal set Dec 5 to hear Najib’s appeal over the dismissal of his leave application for a judicial review regarding the addendum that he claimed had been issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Saifuddin Nasution revealed that the proposed house arrest will involve some 20,000 inmates.
The Bill for the proposed house arrest will still require some time before it is finalised, he said.
“The ministry will have to conduct numerous engagement sessions with those involved. Only then will we come out with a draft Bill for the law, which will be called the House Arrest Act,” he added.
Earlier, during the townhall session, Saifuddin Nasution took a swipe at critics of the proposed house arrest law.
“If there is a white board in front of them, they will only see one black dot on the board, not how white the entire board is,” he said.
He added that there will be several criteria in place for inmates to be considered for house arrest such as their disciplinary record and whether they are first-time offenders.
Those convicted of serious offences will not be eligible for it.
The minister also said there are about 87,000 inmates in prisons throughout the country.
Of this number, about 5,000 are on parole under several programmes, including the Corporate Smart Internship Programme.
“The capacity for our prisons is 74,000 inmates. This means our prisons are overcrowded by 11%.”Saifuddin Nasution said his ministry is also looking at wiping the slate clean for certain categories of individuals by amending the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1968.
Among them, he said, are those who have served their sentences, got a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, or had minor run-ins with the law but were not charged.
“There are about one million names on record. Those whose names were recorded usually end up being unable to find employment although they have turned over a new leaf,” he said.
