Nur Jazlan was responding to an earlier statement by Surendran that other countries such as the UK, Australia and USA, which are facing greater threats than Malaysia, do not have laws such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (Pota) and the National Security Act 2016 (NSC) to combat terrorism.

Speaking to FMT, the Pulai MP reminded Surendran to take a comprehensive comparison of the country’s laws with the anti-terror laws in Western countries, which he described as “disregarding human rights completely”.

“We replaced the Internal Security Act (ISA) with Poca and Pota, which allows for the judicial review option available for detainees.

“Surendran definitely doesn’t understand the threats we are facing.”

He pointed out that the countries which Surendran brought up as an example in his statement had in fact more repressive laws when it comes to dealing with terrorism.

“What rubbish is he talking about? Western countries have more draconian laws such as the Patriot Act as well as setting up the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.

“US uses drones to kill suspected terrorists in a foreign country such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. France declared an emergency and harassed innocent people after the terrorist incident.

“What fair rule of law are they practising?”

Surendran had earlier dismissed local laws as excessive and unnecessary for the purpose of combating terrorism as they deprived the people of their fundamental rights and civil liberties.

Nur Jazlan said: “These acts have helped prevent severe and continuous violent terrorist attacks.

“The low number of terrorist incidents in the country shows these laws are effective.”

Earlier today, Prime Minister Najib Razak had also defended the existence of such laws, saying that they were necessary to ensure the safety of Malaysians.

Najib said Sosma and the Special Measures against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Act were vital in combating the growing threat of terrorist acts in the region.