KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Parit Buntar-PH) has urged Putrajaya to enact specific laws that tackle matters threatening national unity, and not rely on other legal provisions that were not made with the sole purpose of ensuring peace.
During Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat today, Deputy National Unity Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said that to ensure harmony between races and overcome racial issues, the government will rely on provisions available in the Communications and Multimedia Act, Penal Code, and Sedition Act.
“I think the deputy minister is not following recent events. It is time for us to enact a specific law for the purpose of national unity and tackling hate speech.
“If national unity gets its own ministry, it’s time for it to have its own law,” Mujahid said in the Dewan Rakyat.
However, Fayhsal disagreed with Mujahid’s recommendation and emphasised that the existing legal provisions are sufficient to handle sensitive issues involving religion and race.
He also said the government intends to focus on education to promote national harmony, in addition to taking measures.
“I think we should focus on the two plans launched by the prime minister yesterday – the ten-year National Unity Action Plan and the five-year Keluarga Malaysia Plan.
“When we talk about national unity, it crosses various ministries and agencies, requiring cooperation even from the opposition bench.
“By having a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, national unity can be realised by the community,” Fahysal said.
Meanwhile, on the education sector level, the deputy minister said the government will place the Rukun Negara at the forefront to educate youth on national peace.
At the school level, Rukun Negara clubs and secretariats have been implemented to empower and help youth understand the meaning of national unity, Fayhsal said. – The Vibes, November 29, 2021
