National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang says existing laws are sufficient to deal with 3R issues, with no plans to introduce a National Unity Act.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government believes that existing laws are sufficient to deal with offences involving race, religion and the royal institution (3R), said National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
He said the government had no plans to introduce a new law, to be known as the National Unity Act, specifically to address 3R issues, including those arising from developments in social media.
“The existing legal framework is sufficient to take action against offences related to 3R issues. The focus should be on enforcing existing laws more firmly and effectively through the agencies with the relevant jurisdiction.
“On social media, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) conducts regular monitoring and takes appropriate action, including enforcement measures and requests to social media platforms to remove content that violates the law,” he said when replying to a question from Datuk Willie Mongin (GPS-Puncak Borneo) in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Aaron said the relevant legislation included the Penal Code, the Sedition Act 1948, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
He said enforcement of these laws fell under the purview of the relevant ministries and agencies, including the Home Ministry, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Communications Ministry and MCMC.
Aaron said the National Unity Ministry (KPN) focused on fostering social harmony through education, community intervention and mediation.
“Its initiatives included a system to monitor unity-related issues, a community complaints network and referral centres to address sensitive issues within communities.
“The ministry also has 117 mediators who help resolve conflicts peacefully at community level. It also provides community mediation centres where people can lodge complaints and seek mediation services,” he added.