PUTRAJAYA – The continued use of existing laws to crack down on those who offend 3R (race, religion and royalty) sensitivities does not address the spread of extremist mindsets, said a PKR Youth representative.
The party wing’s Kedah delegate Habib Ahmad Irfan Habib Danial also said that laws currently utilised to investigate those believed to have violated 3R sentiments must be fine-tuned to ensure that action is taken appropriately.
“The use of laws to curb extremist sentiments does not address the root issue of how such ways of thinking spread among the people,” the delegate said when met at the party’s congress, here, today.
“This could then lead to other problems as people might question why the government appears to be going against the right to freedom of speech.
“Yes, we have a right to free speech, but we must outline what comments exactly will cause people to face police probes,” he added.
Earlier on, during his debate on PKR Youth chief Adam Adli Abdul Halim’s policy speech, Habib voiced his disagreement with suggestions to draft a new law to quell the rise of racial and religious extremism.
Habib said that the unity government, which includes the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, should instead direct its focus towards implementing programmes that will strengthen unity among the nation’s plural society.
“I’ve read about some people recommending that the government create a law to combat extremist understandings, but I disagree. You cannot fight violence with violence,” Habib said.
“As part of the government, we have the ability to reach a solution (to combat extremist thinking). Why don’t we use the resources available to us?
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, we have to change society’s mindset (to reflect how) we’re all ‘bangsa Malaysia.’
“We can talk about and be proud of our race as long as we don’t oppress other races. We can talk about our religion, but with love instead of hate. We can express our criticism of the royal institution, but not in an insulting way,” the delegate added.
Habib also said that tackling extremist issues is no easy feat as the doctrine is often accompanied with religious and racial rhetoric that might be presented as having “good will,” but are actually “for political gain.”
He also highlighted how extremist mindsets have made their way into the very fabric of society, stressing that racist rhetoric which disparage non-Malay ethnicities is seen among the people at an alarming level.
Highlighting a specific incident in which Sik PAS Youth chief Mohd Shahiful Mhd Nasir asserted that voting for Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Barisan Nasional (BN) would be “haram” during the general election last year, Habib stressed that such remarks should not be taken lightly.
“An individual attempted to be god and pass judgement on others. We might think that this is funny, but (this shows how) extremist doctrines have made their way into our society’s thinking.”
During a campaign speech in Johor for the state election, Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had previously issued similar comments as Shahiful’s assertions.
The Bersatu president was subsequently investigated by police for his speech which allegedly touched on 3R (race, religion and royalty) sensitivities.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PH chairman, had previously assured that while the government will not use laws to prosecute those who criticise the government in 3R matters, it is up to royal figures to take action against those who question their position. – November 25, 2023