Last Updated: 3:51pm, Jun 17, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR (June 17): The National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) shot back at critics wanting to kill its Harmony Bills by asking if they want to remain in the colonial era with archaic law.

While NUCC's Working Committe on Law and Policy chairman Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa welcomes inputs for the Harmony Bills, he prayed that critics don't kill the bills just yet.

"Don't say we don't need these (bills). Are you saying we need the 1948 Sedition Act, which was not done in the context of Malaysia but for the interest of the colonist?

"Are you saying you want to remain the colonist of the people? These are new bills that addresses problems on hate speech, about racial and hate speech using religious sentiments and at the same time protect the freedom of speech," Mujahid said in respond to critics.

He said this in a press conference on his writing project - New Politics, with Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, the chairman of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation.

Saifuddin, who is the member of the working committee, also added that the Sedition Act was drafted by the British to supress freedom fighters.

"This is a very archaic Act. Do we after so many years of independence still need this Act? We have even repealed the Emergency Ordinance and the Internal Security Act, but we still have Sedition Act.

"There are baggages in the Act, because it does not specifically define the meaning of sedition. The biggest weakness of the Act is that you can be found guilty without having intention to seditiously incite people. And selective prosecution," said Saifuddin.

He also pointed out that the prime minister had made an announcement in 2012 to repeal the archaic law.

"We don't know when, so this is the process of repealing (the law)," he said, adding that the new bills were to replace the Sedition Act.

The proposed Harmony Bills consists of Racial and Religious Hate Crimes Bill, National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill, and National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Bill. Hate speech will be criminalised and a mediation and conflict mechanism would be set up to address unfair dicriminations.

Muhajid said critics of the bills were mainly champions of the Sedition Act and also those who felt that the new bills will cause racial inequality, and polarise the communities by regulating on race and religion.

He also categorically said that the proposed bills were not meant to touch on the position of Islam as the official religion and the special position of Bumiputera in the Federal Constitution.

Mujahid said the bills were "something between a White Paper and a bill" that was open for inputs as the consultation process was still ongoing.

He said the committee would be meeting political parties from both affiliation and civil societies to obtain feedbacks this week.

Saifuddin also lauded at the process of the bills which are going through a transparent and open consultation process.

"This is probably the first act of parliament that's undergoing intense, open, transparent public consultation from day one, we should be celebrating and joining this.

"I was in the government, I know how law is formulated. Where has a bill been discussed from day one?" Saifuddin added.

He added that the bills would be going through different drafts and would be finalised by the Attorney General's of Chambers. Further, a bi-partisan parliamentary select committee would be proposed to look at the bills.

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