New Straits Times (Used by Permission)
IPOH: The government should consider setting up a special hate crime body to put a stop to racial slurs and religious bigotry expressed openly in public.
This was the feeling of several members of the public who were concerned over the present state of race relations in the country.
According to them the time was right for the government to either introduce a hate crime panel or the Race Relations Act (RRA) or both to counter the divisive elements who were out to disrupt the peaceful co-existence in Malaysian society.
The Union of Perak Sikh Organisations chairman Dheer Singh felt that the growing ethnocentric emotionalism did not bode well for Malaysia which would celebrate its 47th Malaysia Day tomorrow.
"We are going backwards. Everyone wants to defend the interests of their community or groups and in their attempt to champion their causes the line of mutual respect is often breached and diluted.
"We can accept the championing of rights but this must be done responsibly. But, recent events are indicative of a more divergent Malaysian society. This is not good in the long term," he said while voicing the need for a hate crime unit.
He said if this phenomenon was not checked early it could threaten to derail the 1Malaysia unity agenda and the New Economic Model proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Abdul Rahman Said Alli, a consumerism and environmental activist, also felt it was time to have a hate crime panel.
"We need an effective mechanism to nab culprits irrespective of whether they are laymen, politicians or important personalities. But before we criminalise racism and religious bigotry, we need to legislate an RRA.
"The hate crime panel can only be effective if we put the RRA in place first," said Rahman, who is the president of the Perak Consumers Association and Perak Environment Association.
Ipoh Ratepayers and Taxpayers Association deputy president Victor Sankey said hate crimes could not be tackled by arbitrarily using the Internal Security Act or the Sedition Act.
According to him the means to create peaceful co-existence was by introducing the RRA.
For Tan Swee Kong, who heads the Bercham Rukun Tetangga scheme, the largest neighbourhood watch in the city, a hate crime unit was needed to ensure impartial investigation into complaints of racism and religious bigotry. He said the only way to crackdown on people who incite religious or racial hatred was for the government to show that it was serious about unity and peace.
"Let there be no allegations of biasness or one-sidedness when investigations are carried out. Only then can we truly work towards national unity," he said, adding that the panel could also undertake to educate the public on good race relations.
Human rights lawyer Augustine Anthony said the membership of the panel should comprise community leaders and enforcement agencies.
Its task, he said, should not only be to prosecute offenders but also to educate children, the society and more importantly political leaders on race relations and mutual religious respect. The panel could also help draw up definitions or terms of references, scope and nature of what could be deemed as sensitive, he added.
"At present, anything regarding race or religion is deemed sensitive. This is not healthy in a democratic society, we should be able to discuss issues openly but responsibly," he said.