A controversial new security law has come into effect this week in Malaysia, granting the country’s prime minister sweeping powers to tackle anything the government considers a national security threat.

CCTV’s Rian Maelzer reports.
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The new National Security Council Act allows Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak to declare any area of the country a “security zone” in the face a situation that’s considered a threat to national security.

Within that zone, security forces and police would not need warrants to carry out searches and seizures, plus, they and government officials would be granted immunity for any and all actions.

Najib Razak said the National Security Council Act was needed in the face of the growing number of terrorist attacks in the world. But many worried that the law was far too open to abuse.

“It’s a really worrying development. It gives unprecedented amount of powers to the prime minsiter. It’s a whole set new powers vested in the one person and there’s no check and balance to this powers given to him and that’s the biggest concern, because it opens the room for abuse,” Wan Jan, CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs said.

“Under this act, it will increase the response, the speediness of the response. But it will not be used to suppress political opposition, it will not be used to suppress the powers of the royalty, and it will not be used to suppress any democratic forms of government or laws,” Nur Jazlan Mohamed, deputy home affairs minister, Malaysia said.

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Lindsey Ford on Malaysia new security law

For more on the Malaysia New security Law, CCTV America’s Mike Walter interviewed Lindsey Ford, director of Asian Security at the Asia Society Policy Institute, .