PARLIAMENT Despite a recent string of racist slurs by civil servants, the government does not feel there is a need to enact a race relations act as there are adequate laws in place.

gerakan egm 101010 koh tsu koon pc Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Koh Tsu Koon ( left ), was responding to the DAP MP for Bukit Gelugor, Karpal Singh's question on whether the government intends to enact such an act following recent racist incidents.

In his written reply given today, Koh said that the proposal for such an enactment came about when there were several issues touching on race that were hotly debated by various quarters.

The government had responded through its chief secretary who had issued a circular recently to deal with the few civil servants who have touched on the sensitivity of other races.

The circular noted that the government would not compromise on such behavior which can disrupt the racial harmony enjoyed in the country.

"These issues were widely reported by the print and the electronic media and it had sparked emotional and negative perceptions since the middle of 2008," he said in the reply.

This had led to calls for a race relations act to curb and act on any individual or groups whose behaviour can affect the good relations between the races," said Koh.

He also noted that the National Unity and Integration Department in a roundtable discussion with the Institute of Ethnic Studies (Kita) and University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) represented by academics and civil society groups, had come to the conclusion that there was no need for such an enactment.

Recent racist incidents

Last month BTN assistant director Hamim Husin in a closed-door Puteri Umno function, reportedly referred to the Chinese and Indian communities as " si mata sepet " and " si botol kicap " respectively when asking Puteri Umno members to approach the non-Malays for votes.

Prior to that SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra principal Siti Inshah Mansor had allegedly reprimanded students during an assembly that the Chinese could return to China and likened Hindus to "dogs" because of their prayer strings.

Similarly Ungku Aznan Ungku Ismail, the principal of SMK Bukit Selambau in Sungai Petani, Kedah further instigated a national outcry when he had publicly told several Chinese students to go back to China for "behaving disrespectfully" when they were seen having breakfast in the school canteen during Ramadan.