Azalina: Current laws are being reviewed to tackle 3R issues.
PETALING JAYA: Existing laws may be repealed and even new ones introduced as the government moves to tackle the 3R issues – race, religion and the royal institution.
Current laws are being reviewed to see if they are still applicable in this century, said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) pointed out that the authorities were facing challenges in enforcing existing laws, especially due to the changing technology and social media platforms where information can be freely – and anonymously – shared.
After an engagement session with relevant stakeholders on the 3R issue yesterday, Azalina said three main questions were raised by participants.
She said the first was the repeal of existing laws and the introduction of a new one; and whether to repeal the Sedition Act 1948 and replace it with a new and more specific legislation.
“(Secondly) on amending existing laws that can ensure the 3R issues will be handled holistically, and (third) staying status quo, with no changes to the laws. The 3R issues will then be handled using other approaches,” she said in a statement.
The outcome of the discussion would also be tabled in the Cabinet.
Cheah: Malaysian Bar feels that the Sedition Act is no longer relevant.
The engagement session at the Asian International Arbitration Centre was attended by at least 50 representatives from the Federal Government, police, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, lawyers groups, civil societies, non-governmental organisations, academicians and religious organisations.
Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah, who attended the session, said it felt the Sedition Act was no longer relevant in the 21st century, adding that new laws had to be introduced to tackle the 3R issues.
She suggested three new legislations - Racial and Religious Hate Crime Bill, National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill, and the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Bill - all of which had been drafted and forwarded to the government in February this year.
“The laws we have are pre-independence laws. That was decades ago. Throughout the decades, we have evolved and so should our laws.
“The three drafts have been forwarded to the government and while they may not be the finalised version, they are there. So let’s sit down and sort this out. The laws we have are not modern enough to allow authorities to cope with the problems,” she said.
Besides issues related to social media platforms, Cheah said the proposed laws should also address the tendency by media outlets to choose sensational angles.
“We have some media organisations that sensationalise news. This can create problems, especially in the 3R issue.
“We would like to see this aspect (included) in the Bills because click-bait headlines can be harmful.”
Following a rise in 3R postings and statements ahead of the six state elections in August, various groups have expressed their concerns and urged the government to step in to prevent any negative outcomes.
Previously, Azalina has said the government was mulling a new law to impose civil penalties on those who play up the 3R issues.
