PETALING JAYA: Assurances on the workings of the proposed law on house arrest were greeted with relief, although with caution.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim of PKR was glad to learn that the proposed law would not be used to benefit certain individuals.
“I admit that I previously raised this worry openly, which was done out of sincerity.
“The clarification by the Home Minister in Parliament will ease worries and concerns that the proposed law would not be used to benefit certain elite groups,” Hassan said when contacted yesterday.
He said the minister had clarified that those involved in serious crimes would not be eligible for house arrest. It would only apply to those on remand in prison for non-serious offences.
Hassan added that the government should now also provide a clear explanation to end the ongoing polemic over former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bid for house arrest.
On Oct 19, Hassan questioned the proposed law a day after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mentioned it when tabling Budget 2025 in Parliament.
The proposed law would allow offenders to remain in designated locations such as their homes, care centres or worker dormitories for their sentence.
The proposal, which lacked further details, drew flak from various quarters, with some linking it to Najib’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.
Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, following his explanation, put to rest the issue of whether Najib qualifies for house arrest under the proposed law.
“YB Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh did mention it but this was denied by the minister,” he said when contacted.
Khoo added that the issue was first raised last year when the Parliament’s Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform first discussed it.
“The house arrest approach was discussed by the special select committee during a meeting last year when we addressed the issue of overcrowding at prisons,” Khoo said.
“This was done even before the issue of Najib’s pardon arose.”
Transparency International Malaysia president Dr Muhammad Mohan said the proposed new law must clearly state offences that are not eligible for home detention.
“The minister missed corruption and money laundering offences.
“TI-Malaysia urges the government that under the new laws, whether the convict is a senior citizen, a politician, a former government servant or is of any other status, they should not be eligible for house arrest for such offences,” he said when contacted.
He added that excluding offences involving corruption and abuse of power could undermine the hard work of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to combat such crimes.
