KLANG, July 19 – The government will hold a discussion with various stakeholders to assess existing laws and refine the need for a new act regarding 3R issues (religion, monarchy, and race) this Friday. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Law and Institutional Reforms, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, stated that the discussion aims to address certain parties intentionally provoking extreme provocations on the related issues.
She said the discussion will involve the Bar Council, professional bodies, enforcement agencies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and will take place at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) in Kuala Lumpur. “In this discussion, we will assess the existing laws (such as the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Sedition Act 1948).
We will discuss whether they are sufficient (regarding 3R issues) or otherwise because currently, offenses related to 3R issues are investigated under acts that lean more towards criminal offenses. “Many countries now, with their diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, use the approach I mentioned earlier (special acts), for example, Indonesia and Australia,” she said to reporters after attending the UMNO Kota Raja Division Townhall “The Role of UMNO in the Government” on Monday evening.
She added that in other countries, addressing such matters is not only focused on the criminal aspect but also emphasizes counseling and education. The public dialogue session was also attended by the Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI), Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, who is also the Chief of the UMNO Kota Raja Division, and Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
