KUALA LUMPUR: Cases involving the three R's (race, religion and royalty) saw a massive 123 per cent increase this year compared to 2023.
National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said there were 47 cases recorded in the first quarter of this year involving religious issues, hate speech and racially-charged speech.
This, he said, was increase compared to 21 cases in the same period last year.
He said the data was gathered from the e-Sepakat system, which is a central data gathering system for the management of unity issues and a mechanism for tracking, monitoring and digital reporting of issues.
The e-Sepakat system, he said, was among the mechanisms implemented by the National Unity and Integration Department (JPNIN) to monitor such developments at the grassroots level.
"Police's statistics on racially-charged arguments showed 162 cases nationwide, with Johor having the most cases at 53, followed by Selangor (34) and Penang (23)," he said in a statement.
Aaron Ago said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) also took down 1,454 online content related to 3R issues from Jan to March 31 this year.
He said the content included 588 cases related to racially-charged speech, 727 related to religious issues and 139 for hate speech involving the royal institution.
"As a country with a diverse makeup, there has to be a high degree of respect and tolerance.
"This attitude must be embraced by all segments of society at all levels. This understanding is key towards achieving a level of acceptance which would eventually ease such concerns," he said.
Aaron Ago said if there is understanding among the people, there would be even more room for acceptance and tolerance as well reducing the gap between races.
"Harmony must be preserved, fostered and engendered within us, starting with ourselves and later passed on to the next generation," he said.
Aaron Ago also reminded the people on the need to be responsible and to play a role in upholding harmony, sovereignty, peace and security for the country.
He said the National Unity Ministry is not an enforcement agency but among the supporting agencies which constantly aid authorities such as the police, MCMC and the National Security Council in matters pertaining to unity.
"Sometimes the public are not aware of this and assume that the ministry can take action on unity issues, especially those involving 3R," he said.