KUALA LUMPUR: National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang said the government has no plans to introduce a new bill to tackle 3R (race, religion, and royalty) issues while promoting national harmony.
The minister said the government conducted extensive dialogues in July to assess the effectiveness of the existing legislation and explore alternatives.
"As of now, there has been no decision arising from these discussions.
"The government believes there is no immediate need to introduce new legislation, and the focus is on improving the enforcement of existing laws.
"The ministry believes that the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA 1998) and the Sedition Act 1948 are sufficient to address and take appropriate action regarding 3R issues," Aaron said while answering the question by Sri Gading member of parliament (MP) Aminolhuda Hassan in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The minister further outlined that Section 505 of the Penal Code, Act 754 of the Penal Code, and Section 8 of the Printing Presses and Publication Act could also be used to ensure racial and ethnic harmony in the society.
However, Aaron stressed that if the situation deteriorates, the government would review and amend existing laws or enact new legislation whenever needed to maintain harmony among racial and religious groups.
The minister said that the National Unity Special Task Force in 2019 has proposed enacting the Racial and Religious Hate Crimes Bill, National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill, and the establishment of the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission.
"However, all of these proposals were not considered suitable for implementation at that time," he said.
Indera Mahkota MP Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah rebutted, saying existing legislation is far from enough to regulate the hate speech situation.
"The threshold for convicting someone under the Sedition Act is very low because intent does not need to be proven, and it is quite broad.
"However, in the absence of other laws, there are times when the Act has to be used with regret.
"We must strike a balance between the need for action and fairness, and it should not be misused. For example, the Sedition Act is often misused because its threshold is too low. Now, the issue of hate speech has arisen," he said.
Saifuddin stressed that the remark made by the minister regarding the 2019 National Unity Special Task Force was incorrect.
"The decision at that time had not actually been made. I was there. I am a member of the National Unity Consultative Council, and I was in the Cabinet that discussed this matter.
"That is why the National Unity Policy was introduced when Pagoh MP (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) became the Prime Minister.
"I hope that (Aaron Ago Dagang) doesn't make decisions too early by saying it is unnecessary. Wait for the committee which is discussing it, and I hope we will improve the existing laws, even if we do not introduce a new bill to replace the Sedition Act," he emphasised.
The minister explained that based on the information he received, the proposed bills in 2019 were clearly rejected.
"Under the (proposed) Racial and Religious Hate Crimes Bill, all those offences are encompassed within the Penal Code.
"The National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill that was proposed at the time contained all the issues related to it within Article 8 of the Federal Constitution. That is why both bills were rejected.
"Nevertheless, regarding the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission, there was a plan to establish it, but it couldn't materialise due to time limitations. At that time, the Prime Minister himself decided that forming the commission was unsuitable. That was the decision at that moment," he said.