Reason to feel threatened?

ALL things being normal, the newly-passed National Security Council (NSC) bill which stunned many Malaysians on Friday morning and expands the powers of Prime Minister Najib Razak, would not have been as alarming.

But let's face it - Malaysia has been roiled by an unprecedented scandal, knocking it off its equilibrium for much of this year and resulting in a highly-charged and emotive climate.

At face value, the new legislation provides the eight-member council helmed by Mr Najib extensive and arbitrary powers to declare a "security area" or what some describe as an "emergency-like situation" and to arrest anyone without a warrant when faced with a security risk.