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23 IIUMLJ 1 (2015)

handle is hein.journals/iiumlj23 and id is 1 raw text is: 23 (1) 2015 IIUMLJ 1-29

RULE OF LAW: AN INITIAL ANALYSIS OF SECURITY
OFFENCES (SPECIAL MEASURES) ACT (SOSMA) 2012
Saroja Dhanapal*
Johan Shamsuddin Sabaruddin**
ABSTRACT
The term 'Internal Security Act' is often givento a piece of legislation
laying down regulations that enable the executive government of a
jurisdiction to preserve the internal security of the nation. In some
jurisdictions, it authorises the government to arrest and detain
individuals without trial. The Malaysian Internal Security Act (ISA)
1960 was originally enacted by the Malaysian government in 1960
under Article 149 of the Malaysian Constitution. However, there
were numerous concerns raised as to the implications of this Act at
various levels over the years and this led to it being repealed. On
15 September 2011, ISA 1960 was repealed and replaced by the
Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012. SOSMA 2012
was enacted in answer to the criticism of the ISA 1960 and it does
show some positive changes. However, the debate as to the concerns
with regards to ISA has not been laid to rest. It is advocated and
generally accepted by most people around the world that the nation's
emphasis on domestic stability cannot be said to negate the presence
of the Rule of Law (RoL). The purpose of this research is to analyse
the relatively intriguing new Act, the Security Offences (Special
Mesaures) Act 2012 with the specific objective to identify whether it
upholds the principles deemed necessary under the RoL.
Keywords: internal security, Internal Security Act 1960, Security
Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, rule of law
*   Ph,D. candidate   (University  of  Malaya), Taylor's  University,
e mail: saroja.dhanapal@taylors.edu.my
** University of Malaya, e mail: johans@um.edu.my

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