Yoursay: Hate speech laws should have been enacted yesterday

YOURSAY | ‘Such laws are a long time coming, and as each day passes, the hate grows with impunity.’

Amanah leader moots new law to stamp out 'Isma-like hate mongering'

Simple Truth: I totally agree with Amanah leader Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad.

The time has come for the nation to have a law to curb irresponsible people who will say racially and religiously sensitive words to divide the rakyat for their own agenda.

This is absolutely dangerous, and has to be stopped before the nation runs riot. Such filth is being spewed to destroy the already delicate and fragile condition of national unity in our country.

Before and after the 14th general election, we have seen and heard so many hurtful words spoken, especially by Umno and PAS leaders, and they all got away with it.

A law needs to be passed so that anyone who spews such statements will be hauled to court, and if found guilty, be fined and jailed.

FairMind: Pakatan Harapan has been smacked left and right with racial instigation and still it has not woken up.

Our law minister is still sleeping. This new legislation to curb hate speech on social media should have been enacted yesterday.

We placed so much importance on the Sedition Act 1948 to protect the royalty and do nothing to protect Malaysian citizens.

Anonymous_49d8b96c: Harapan was given the full mandate by the rakyat to form the new government.

The proposal for a law to curb hate speech is absolutely the right thing to do. Just do it, no need to hesitate. And please do it at lightning speed.

FairMalaysian: Harapan, for heaven's sake, we have been pleading with you for legislation against hate-mongering, but don't know why you are sitting on it.

Idiots like Isma have only one aim – to bring down the Harapan government by creating chaos in the country.

Raja Bahrin is right. Are you going to wait until something like what happened in Sri Lanka and Indonesia happens here?

Umno-PAS and NGOs like Isma are hell-bent on creating racial and religious strife in this country.

You can stop a normal fire but not racial and religious fire, and it should be clear that three by-elections won by Umno were predicated not on merits of what it has done for the people, but by merely resorting to racial and religious fanaticism.

These people are out to destroy this country. Please don't wait anymore.

ATM: There are definitely agendas to portray everything under the Harapan government as being against Islam and Malays, if not royalty too.

For instance, the matriculation quota, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd), etc – all these are being played up so as to create openings for Umno to come back as champions of race, religion, and royalty.

Umno and BN should instead reform to be a credible front for the next general, but I can’t see anything in this direction – a disappointment indeed for all true Malaysians.

Kookie: Hate speech laws are a long time coming, and as each day passes, the hate grows with impunity. If hate is not addressed effectively soon, it will be too late for Harapan.

Freedom of speech and press freedom have allowed such hate to manifest itself. European countries have addressed the problem. What about us?

Quigodbond: I don't know why it is so hard to legislate.

Just making sure the decision of whether something is true or false, whether it amounts to hate speech, is not arbitrarily decided by the executive branch of the government. Let there be judicial oversight.

More importantly, impose criteria for consideration with regard to the multifaith and multiracial nature of this country, the constitution, the views of local and foreign intellectuals, and international conventions.

GalaxyM: Why not arrest Isma president Aminuddin Yahaya who has nothing better to do other than using race and religion to cause trouble?

The Harapan government should act fast and hard to nip such troublemakers in the bud before they go out of hand.

Doe: Raja Bahrin is the only politician who has been consistently voicing out all that is wrong with our society today.

It takes someone with a very high standard of morals and ethics to do so, knowing the backlash he may face on religious issues in Malaysia.

Anonymous 2459771488264417: I believe the present law is available and sufficient, but are we brave enough to use it on all and not selectively?

One commoner’s hate speech affects a few, but those in power or with great influence can affect thousands or even millions.

Say No to Racism: Good move, sir, but at the same time, we should not protect anyone wanted for hate speech, such as Muslim preacher Zakir Naik.

Fairview: We do have many laws but sometimes there is no political will to enforce them because there is fear of losing votes from certain sectors of society.

Throw a few of these bigots in jail and you will find that they will be fewer of them.

We are too nice to people who are out to create disharmony, an example is Zakir Naik. We also have political samseng (thugs) who openly create mischief but are not seen to be adequately brought to book.

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