BANGI, July 13 — Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil today welcomed the suggestion that a new Act imposing civil penalties on those who play up the issues of race, religion, and royalty (3R) should be enacted.

The Lembah Pantai MP said the Act would preserve the peace and security of Malaysia.

"I welcome such a move. The findings were presented to me by the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

"Some laws are still lacking, but this new Act is in the interest of the peace and security of the country.

"I believe there is a room for us to look into the existing laws and see how we can improve or enhance them,” he told reporters after officiating the first Global Conference of Communication, Culture & Contemporary Media (Glocom 2023) here.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said suggested that the new Act, which may be called the "State and Nation Act”, was like the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act in Singapore but drafted with the Malaysian context in mind.

At present, she said any offence involving the 3R issue was investigated under the Sedition Act 1948.

She added however that since the Act was more geared towards elements of criminal offences, prosecution took a long time due to legal procedures.

Azalina said the proposal to create the new Act had been presented to the Cabinet and received a positive response.

According to her, the main challenge faced now is the use of social media to play up 3R sentiments, which can then be denied as there is no solid evidence to prove it happened.

Therefore, she said the existence of the new Act was a solution to the 3R issue that had become increasingly prevalent in the country in recent years, and would ensure the needs of the future generation are better met.