FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — A decision by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to repeal controversial laws that significantly curtail civil liberties has been greeted with both relief and cynicism among members of the public.

Under Najib’s proposals, the widely detested Emergency Ordinance and the Internal Security Act (ISA) will be abolished. The 51-year-old law was initially designed to combat a communist insurgency and, more recently, to detain terrorism suspects. However, thousands of people have been detained under the act, whose mandate critics say has stretched to include those simply critical of the government. Read more in The Diplomat.