RECENT incidents of religious bigotry have prompted a lawmaker to push the National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill in the Dewan Rakyat through a private member’s bill in the next parliamentary sitting which begins on October 23.

The bill that criminalises discrimination was proposed by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) in 2014 to the government, along with two other bills, but nothing came out of it. 

Parit Buntar MP Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who was a member of the council, said he hoped to bring the matter up again in Parliament by tabling a private member’s bill.

Mujahid’s move is in line with what two other former NUCC members – CIMB Group chairman Nazir Razak and Lee Lam Thye – have expressed in the wake of cases involving religious intolerance.

“We (Pakatan Harapan) have always brought up the issue in our debates. 

“I hope to bring it up through a private member’s bill in the coming Dewan Rakyat sitting… but it may be a long way for it to see light,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

The Amanah vice-president said it would depend on the speaker whether the private member’s bill could be tabled. 

“Any MP can submit one but the speaker determines whether to accept it or reject it. So, I don’t know if my bill will see light. 

“It can be rejected just like that but I will prepare the draft. I will bring this up, too, with my PH colleagues. 

“If we can capture Putrajaya in the next elections, we will certainly propose that the three bills drafted by the NUCC be considered and made into laws to address discrimination, racial and religious provocations and hatred,” he said. 

Mujahid was the only opposition MP appointed to the 30-member NUCC when it was launched in 2013. He was a PAS member at the time.

The NUCC was launched by Prime Minister Najib Razak to address issues, such as racial and religious polarisation, disunity and discrimination, in an effort to achieve national unity.

NUCC also drafted the Racial and Religious Hate Crimes Bill to criminalise hate speech, and the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Bill in 2014.

“The commission was to take progressive steps towards achieving harmony in Malaysia. 

“We also made sure there were high standards for the burden of proof for taking action against offenders,” Mujahid said. 

The council was dissolved in mid-2016. None of the bills, which were to replace the Sedition Act, was ever made into laws. The Najib administration fortified the Sedition Act instead. 

“It is unfortunate what happened to the NUCC bills. The three drafted bills were the best deal for Malaysia to curb racism,” Mujahid added. 

Recent developments in Malaysia that touched on religious discrimination have revived calls for the National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill to be reconsidered by Putrajaya.

Nazir posted on his Instagram account recently, asking what had happened to the bill, which was to prevent unfair discrimination based on religion, race, descent, birthplace, gender and disability.

Nazir, who is also the brother of Najib, wrote: “What happened to this national unity bill? We urgently need to define and legislate the boundaries of (what is) acceptable in how we relate to each other. What is racist, what isn’t. What is unacceptable segregation, what isn’t. Cancer starts quite innocuously, but has to confronted immediately.”

Nazir’s post last week came after a laundrette in Muar, Johor, was condemned for its Muslim-only sign.

The hot issue died down on Wednesday after Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar gave the laundrette owner a dressing down and told the latter to apologise to him and the people of Johor.

The sultan said Johor was no “Taliban state” and the laundrette owner could move to Afghanistan if he wanted to continue his business that way.

Another former NUCC member, Lee, also agreed that Putrajaya needed to take another look at the National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill after recent developments.

He also hoped the politicians could push for the bill to reconsidered.

“I hope Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Joseph Kurup, who holds the national unity and integration portfolio, can see to it… maybe help get the cabinet to look at the bill again.

“We also need the MPs to play their role to push for the bill in the Dewan Rakyat while civil society voice their views on the matter,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Lee, who is Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation senior vice-chairman, said the bill had to be pursued, as incidents which caused religious tensions were bad for Malaysia.

“When the bill was drafted, NUCC had these types of problem in mind… issues that would be created by religious extremists who cannot accept multiracialism.

“What we know of now are incidents reported in the media. There may be other such incidents that went unreported. The bill’s purpose was to address these incidents.” – October 2, 2017.