The National Harmony Bill has yet to be finalised as the draft is still undergoing consultation with stakeholders, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri.     

 

Brushing aside an assumption that the draft bill is ready to be tabled in Parliament, she said the government would not be hasty in tabling the bill or enact a law which could threaten harmony.     

 

She said the draft bill would go through a rigorous process and its content should not be in conflict with the federal constitution.      

 

The Sedition Act 1948 is still in force until it is repealed and replaced by the National Harmony Act or whatever name of the Act deemed appropriate, she said in a statement yesterday.     

 

Nancy, who is now performing umrah in Mecca, said the national Unity Consultation Council under the auspices of the National Unity and Integration Department was conducting consultation with stakeholders, including non-government organisations (NGOs) to get their input.  

 

She said three drafts of the bill had been brought up for consideration by the council's legislation and policies to promote national harmony committee following a series of consultations with stakeholders.      

 

After the negotiation and engagement process is completed, the final draft of the bill will be submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers for scrutiny and fine-tuning, she said, adding that it would then be brought to the cabinet for approval before being tabled in Parliament.     

 

Nancy said she had received the three drafts which would be analysed from studied from all aspects of religious and racial diversity, including Islam as the official religion of the federation and the rulers position as enshrined in the constitution.     

 

- Bernama