TAWAU: Sri Tanjong Assemblyman Justin Wong called on the Federal Government to take decisive action by enacting comprehensive laws aimed at curbing increasing racial and religious hate crimes.
In a statement, here, Tuesday, Wong said this should include provisions to address discrimination against minorities, particularly non-Muslims, in an effort to foster a more inclusive and harmonious society.
He said the situation is getting worse especially on social media, with people openly and widely making racist and discriminatory remarks without fear.
“What is worse is that this kind of behaviour seems to have infiltrated Sabah and it is jeopardising the peace and harmony that Sabahans have been enjoying,” he said.
Citing an example, he said the Halal status of cafes and restaurants has been a hot topic among social media users in Tawau, with many people bashing and criticising eateries that don’t have Halal status.
“It is concerning to see that a lot of these comments are made with elements of hatred and racism and they are made openly without considering the sensitivity of people of other races and religions.
“This kind of remark would be considered a hate crime in the United Kingdom for demonstrating hostility based on race and religion. But not here in Malaysia because we still do not have a law to punish racial and religious hate crimes,” he said.
Hence, he said, it is high time for the Federal Government to take action and enact a law that would punish racial and religious hate crimes, including those made on social media.
He said the law should make racial and religious hatred remarks as well as discrimination based on race and religion a punishable offence.
Wong said while all Malaysians acknowledge Islam as the official religion of the nation, at the same time, the Federal Constitution also provides that every race and religion must be respected, including its values and cultures.
“Sabah is very different. We value our differences and we respect each other. We hope that this ‘hatred mindset’ will not infiltrate Sabah.
“We will not condone (racial and religious hatred) and we remain steadfast in promoting multicultural multiracial society,” he added.
