Govt rules out new hate speech laws, opts for better enforcement

PARLIAMENT | The government does not have any plans to implement new hate speech laws, but will continue to improve enforcement of existing regulations, said National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang.

PAS lawmaker Ismi Mat Taib and Klang MP V Ganabatirau both raised queries regarding the government’s efforts to reduce racial and religious hate speech online and if there are plans for new laws to be drafted on the matter.

“Anyone who intentionally commits any acts or incites issues that can threaten racial and religious harmony can be investigated and prosecuted.

“There are already existing acts and laws which are enforced by the Home and Communications Ministries - through the police and MCMC.

“The laws in place to deal with such matters are the Penal Code, the Communications and Multimedia Act, the Sedition Act, and the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).

“And the Communications Ministry - through MCMC - deals with race, religion and royalty-related posts online,” Aaron said.

Existing regulations

The Kanowit MP also explained that the government already has existing regulations to monitor online hate speech, such as the Rakan system (Rangkaian Aduan Komuniti Awam Nasional), which allows netizens to direct their complaints to the respective authorities for immediate action to be taken.

The ministry has also set up a unity analytics dashboard to identify “hotspot” locations which are at high risk of experiencing racial and religious tensions.

The information collected will be used to plan and implement intervention programmes aimed at the relevant communities, he explained.

A committee on issues of national unity, which consists of 12 ministries and agencies, has also been established to ensure quick action is taken towards issues which could potentially harm racial harmony.

“Although the National Unity Ministry does not have direct authority (over social media posts), we nevertheless play an important role through a reformative approach, intervention, mediation, and raising awareness on combating the discussion of sensitive issues related to race and religious hate speech,” said Aaron.

The minister cited examples of incidents which have been successfully dealt with through this “reformative approach” which include the case of the corn vendor in Sepang who, eventually offered a public apology after being detained for racist signage at his stall.

He explained that the issue was successfully mitigated through intervention from local Rukun Tetangga volunteers.

Another example, the minister cited, was when representatives from the National Unity Ministry in Johor intervened in the case of a Chinese man being slapped for eating in public during Ramadan in Johor Bahru in March this year.

Other initiatives by the ministry also include the “Cakap Baik-Baik” campaign, to encourage netizens to be more mindful, ethical and responsible in their online communications, and voluntary patrols around low-cost housing areas where foreigners were allegedly found proselytising to Muslim residents.

According to Aaron, from 2023 until July 2025, MCMC has identified and reported at least 11,967 posts related to 3R, and 7,673 of those posts have successfully been taken down by the social media administrators.

The unity minister explained that they will continue to work closely with MCMC to take action against organisations and individuals who spread online hate speech.

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