Dialogue the best way forward for religious harmony

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Govt to table Racial and Religious Hatred Act to protect religions.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs Mujahid Yusof Rawa recently said that the government will enact a Religious and Racial Hatred Act to protect Islam and other religions in the country against slurs and insults.

The minister has further said that the proposed bill would safeguard religious and ethnic harmony among the people in the country.

Although this statement should have better come from the minister of national unity and social well-being, Mujahid’s good intentions are welcomed.

But don’t we already have in place laws which aim to achieve similar results? The question which arises is if we should further expose ourselves to the risk of selective prosecution by enacting more laws.

Punishing someone for making a hate speech is not a long-term solution when ideological thought which gives rise to such prejudice and hatred is not addressed.

Racial and religious misunderstandings are best resolved through open dialogues supported by broadly inclusive policies. Prosecuting an individual will simply fortify hatred and leave the issue of intolerance unaddressed.

What we desperately need is for politicians to publicly rebuke in strongest terms incidences which denigrate or mock our diversity be it racial or religious and this we have failed to see happening. Race and religion are continuously used as tools to pursue political ambitions.

I would, therefore, recommend that the government focusses on strengthening the established National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) to continue building bridges of harmony amongst the various races and religions in Malaysia supported by inclusive policies rather than enacting new laws.

To achieve desired results, let us all work hand in hand to solve the root cause of the problem rather than proposing more laws which are capable of worsening the situation. - Mkini