Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Law and Institutional Reform M. Kulasegaran called on August 5 for efforts to strengthen national security laws that do not come at the expense of human rights. He made the remarks during a symposium on national security-related crimes and the effectiveness of current laws held at Parliament House in Malaysia [1, 2, 3, 4].
Kulasegaran emphasized that legal reform must be continuous to keep legislation relevant to rapid technological advances, social change, and new security challenges. "The question is not whether the country needs tougher or more lenient laws, but how to develop a legal framework that protects national security without compromising the rule of law and human rights," he said [1, 2].
He outlined the expanding threats faced by the country, including cyber attacks, cybercrime, disinformation, extremism, espionage, foreign interference, attacks on critical infrastructure, and the misuse of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence [1, 2, 3, 4]. Kulasegaran stressed that combating these threats requires effective, balanced, and forward-looking laws grounded in the Federal Constitution, the rule of law, and principles of justice [1, 4].
"No single institution can confront national security threats alone. National security requires whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches involving the government, Parliament, the private sector, academia, civil society and the public," he added [3].
Present at the event were National Security Council director-general Datuk Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin and Senator Rita Sarimah Patrick Insol, chair of the Dewan Negara Special Select Committee on Law Review [1]. In her welcoming remarks, Sarimah noted that security threats now extend beyond military and border defense to digital and technological domains. She said, "The question is not whether national security laws must change, but how far those changes should go to keep them relevant, effective and capable of meeting the country's challenges" [3].
Kulasegaran’s address underscored the importance of ongoing legal updates to meet new threats without undermining human rights protections. The government continues reviewing national security legislation to ensure it remains effective and aligned with constitutional principles [1, 4].
