He said the things that were monitored by the government were news that was defamatory, racist in nature, threats to national security and those that break the laws.

“That is the stand of the government on freedom of speech now.

“How can we say the government is restricting freedom of speech when the opposition is still free to operate blogs that criticise the government, anti-government news portals, publish anti-government party organs and run down the government on social media?” he said in his blog today.

He said there was a marked difference between freedom of speech and respecting the country’s laws.

He clarified that Article 10 (1)(a) of the Federal Constitution gave the people the freedom of speech, but this was not absolute.

Nonetheless, Salleh said parliament also had the right to limit freedom of speech based on the needs and interests of the country, such as national and public security, control on dissemination of slander and prohibiting the questioning of the sovereignty and powers of the Malay Rulers, and the special position and rights of the Malays and Bumiputeras.

The Umno treasurer said such laws were not new as they had existed for a long time and not during the administration of the present prime minister.

“Nonetheless, the current government is being accused of curtailing freedom of speech,” he said.

Salleh stressed that in the past, the government justified limits to the freedom to maintain the unity of the multiracial people and to ensure national stability as well as to prevent the dissemination of reports which could damage the image of the country.

“But now, if the government were to impose such controls, those who justified such controls in the past would accuse the government of limiting their freedom of speech.

“It is, therefore, wrong to politicise all matters for politics,” he said.