KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Putrajaya’s national reconciliation council told the Najib administration today to act swiftly when dealing with racial and religiously sensitive incidents, warning that inaction could lead to “serious consequences”.

The newly-formed National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) said in a statement here that Putrajaya must move quickly as rising religious tensions could eventually hamper efforts to promote national unity.

“The NUCC urges the government to uphold the rule of law and to actively promote national unity by taking prompt action against incendiary statements and actions which are provocative and can lead to conflict and tension with serious consequences affecting peace, harmony and national unity,” the council said.

The NUCC’s statement comes as the country’s interfaith and inter-ethnic ties face new challenges, with a Penang church attacked with Molotov cocktails last month and an alleged tossing of pork at a mosque yesterday.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar yesterday warned Malaysians against threatening national security through attempts to create religious and racial tension, saying that the police would not hesitate to use the anti-terrorism law — Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) — against them.

Eager to listen to the public’s grouses and proposals for greater racial harmony, the NUCC also said it will kick off a series of feedback sessions beginning this Saturday before drawing up the National Unity Blueprint.

The NUCC said its 18 nationwide sessions termed “unity dialogues” would carry the theme of “Voice of the Grassroots” and will run until March 30.

The unity council will collect views from the public on positive achievements in ethnic relations and critical issues relating to national unity.

“At the same time we want to hear views pertaining to solutions and recommendations especially as the way forward in strengthening ethnic harmony and making a Malaysia a better place for all Malaysians,” it said.

The NUCC also gave its assurance that its partners in public universities will document all the views from the unity dialogues, which would then be used to aid the council in drawing up the National Unity Blueprint.

Malaysians can also give their views and suggestions on national unity by sending emails to the NUCC secretariat at kapli@jpnin.gov.my.

While calling for Malaysians to seek peaceful resolutions and address differences with humility and reasonableness, the NUCC also noted with approval that the public had already started taking steps to push for unity.

“We are delighted at the many citizen initiatives to promote peace and unity such as Walk in the Park, Solidarity in Kajang and “Solidariti Untuk Malaysia and would like to encourage more such initiative,” the NUCC said in a statement today after the council’s second meeting last Friday.

Yesterday, a multiracial citizen movement calling themselves “Malaysians for Malaysia” walked peacefully to different houses of worship in Penang to express their concern over religious tension in the country and to reject violence and bigotry.

The multifaith “Malaysians for Malaysia” group said they will be organising similar “A Walk in The Park” events in Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu and Klang in the coming months.