KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — The federal government plans to table the National Harmony Bill next year once it obtains feedback from stakeholders and the public, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy said.
According to the New Straits Times, Waytha Moorthy said the public will have the opportunity to provide their views when the National Unity Consultative Council release its 2015’s findings and recommendations this month.
“We are engaging stakeholders. We hope to table the National Harmony Bill next year,” he reportedly said at the sidelines of the 6th Congress of the Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
Waytha Moorthy said prior to the formulation of a blueprint, the government will evaluate the public’s feedback alongside a study on national unity and integration conducted by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Insitute of Ethnic Studies (KITA).
The Billl was initially mooted by the previous administration in 2015 but was later stalled.
It is now being revived as a part of the Pakatan Harapan government’s efforts to strengthen race relations among Malaysians.
The Bill is an umbrella for three proposed laws: the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, the National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill, and the Anti-Discrimination Bill.
