Religion, race, culture must be included in National Harmony Act - Zahid

The National Harmony Act, proposed to replace the Sedition Act 1948, needs to contain three main elements which are religion, race and culture to preserve harmony among the country's multiracial community.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the three elements were important to ensure the Act was relevant and functions well to protect matters of a sensitive nature.

"I don't think the name (National Harmony Act) is important but the content of the Act is important, as well as what is discussed so that there are elements which protect sensitivities pertaining to religion, race and culture," he told reporters Tuesday.

On May 30, the government suggested a new act to replace the Sedition Act and confirmed receiving the drafts of three new bills related to national harmony.

This followed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's announcement in 2012 to repeal the controversial act, with the aim of increasing freedom of expression, among others.

The three bills are the National Harmony Bill, National Unity Bill and the Commission on National Unity and Integration Bill.

However, the proposal received different reactions from various quarters including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who reportedly said Malaysia could be chaotic should the government abolish the Sedition Act.

On this, Ahmad Zahid hoped the various quarters would not misinterpret the prime minister's decision to abolish the Sedition Act, especially since the government wanted to foster harmony among the people.

"When there are differing views, especially in politics, I feel that politicians need to know what is sensitive and is off limits. This is based on the provisions in the constitution which we must respect," he added.