KUALA LUMPUR: The government will review several existing laws to ensure relevance with the current development in the country, including the increasing number of provocation cases relating to 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues.
Minister in the Prime Minister Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said some of the laws put in place to deal with such issues – such as the Sedition Act 1948; Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984; Communications and Multimedia Act 1998; Electoral Offenses Act 1954; and the Penal Code – were not revised since its enactment seven decades ago.
Azalina added that the engagement session with the Focus Group Discussion and 3R Legal Dialogue on the provocation issue had also been conducted and the outcome would be presented to the Cabinet.
"The engagement session was held to examine the effectiveness of existing laws, as well as the latest challenges faced by enforcement agencies.
"It is also conducted to explore alternative legal models in dealing with the issue by taking into account international standards and best practices such as the Camden Principles, Rabat Plan of Action as well as United Nations Strategy and Action Plan on Hate Speech," she said in a statement, today.
She added that the government will also continue to engage with relevant stakeholders for the direction of holistic policy and laws as a guide for the government to deal with issues pertaining to 3R.
"The government supports the freedom of expression rights of Malaysians as guaranteed under Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution, in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), however, the rights must be used responsibly."