“It is right to talk about the balance between national security and civil liberties. But there are no civil liberties under Daesh. The best method to uphold civil liberties is by ensuring national security,” said Najib in his speech at the International Conference on De-radicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism today.

The Pekan MP was referring to the globally recognised terrorist group, the Islamic State (IS).

“I make no apology for taking every possible step to preserve national security. We will not wait for an outrage to take place before taking necessary measures.”

Explaining further, Najib insisted that Malaysia would not follow in the footsteps of other countries that were lacking efficient laws meant to tackle the growing threat of terrorism.

“There are some countries that have expressed regret over the lack of legislations that would allow them to immediately tackle a terrorist threat.

“I will not allow Malaysia to become a country that is vulnerable to attacks.”

The conference today also saw all Asean countries as well as the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia in attendance.

Prior to this, Najib had, following the Jakarta bombings, said the National Security Council (NSC) Act would allow the government to move with more efficiency when dealing with terror threats in the country.

The Senate had last month approved the controversial bill and it was now up to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to grant his royal assent before it became law.