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The Fundamental Liberties Guaranteed Under The Constitution
The Fundamental Liberties Guaranteed Under The Constitution
Every person has a right to life and liberty. A person’s life or personal liberty cannot be taken away
unless it is in accordance with law. The courts have said that the right to life includes a right to livelihood
and quality of life, while the right to liberty includes the right to privacy.
If a person has not been detained according to law, the courts will order that the person is brought
before the court to be released. This is known as habeas corpus. You will find information on your rights
when you are arrested by the police in the Police and Your Basic Rights leaflet published by the Bar
Council and can be found at www.malaysianbar.org.
No one can be made a slave or forced to work. However, Parliament may make laws to require
Malaysians to provide compulsory national service. Work or service required from a person who is
convicted of a crime is not considered forced labour.
A person cannot be punished for something which at the time when it was done was not an offence. For
example, if a law is passed to make it illegal to drive past a speed limit of 80km/h, a person driving past
that speed limit before the law is passed cannot be punished. This is known as the prohibition against
retrospective criminal laws.
If the punishment for a crime is increased, a person who committed the crime before the punishment
was increased cannot be given that increased punishment. For example, if the law is amended to change
the punishment for breaking a speed limit from a fine to a prison sentence, a person breaking the speed
limit before the law is amended cannot be punished with a prison sentence.
A person who has been acquitted or convicted of an offence shall not be tried again for the same
offence, unless the conviction or acquittal is quashed (set aside) and a retrial is ordered.
Article 8 – Equality
All persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law.
Unless the Constitution says so, citizens cannot be discriminated only because of their religion, race,
descent, place of birth or gender:-
A Malaysian citizen cannot be banished or excluded from the country. In general, every citizen has the
right to move freely and stay in any part of the country except where any law is passed relating to the
security of the country, public order, public health or the punishment of offenders.
The special position of Sabah and Sarawak compared to other States also allows for laws to be made to
control who can enter and stay in Sabah and Sarawak. We talk about the special interests and
safeguards for Sabah and Sarawak in The Rakyat Guides 7: Sabah and Sarawak.
Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression. However, Parliament may make laws to
restrict this right if they are necessary or expedient in the interest of:-
In imposing restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression in the interest of the security of the
country or public order, Parliament may pass laws prohibiting the questioning of matters relating to
citizenship, the national language, the special position of Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak
and sovereignty of the Rulers.
All citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms and to form associations. However,
Parliament may make laws to restrict these rights if they are necessary or expedient in the interest of:-
3. Parliament can also make laws to restrict the right to form associations in relation to labour and
education.