Cabinet receives first draft of National Harmony Bill

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) had presented the first draft of the National Harmony Bill to the cabinet last week, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri.
However, she said, the implementation of the proposed National Harmony Act that would replace the Sedition Act 1948 was still at the discussion stage and needed more time for study.
"The act must be studied thoroughly so that it will be equitable and fair for every strata of society.
"We wish to ensure that the people in Malaysia are united because the people in the country are made up of various religions and races," she told reporters after making a visit to Wisma Bernama yesterday.
She said that the Prime Minister's Department was studying and looking at several examples of implementation in other countries such as Singapore and the United Kingdom.
"The total population in our country and that of Singapore differs a lot but we take what is good to be used as an example," she said.
In another development, Nancy said anyone could take legal action against the company that manufactured the Cadbury chocolate because the issue on 'halal' was related to the religion.
However, she said the individual that intended to take action against Cadbury Confectionery (M) Sdn Bhd, the manufacturer of the chocolate concerned, must have a very clear understanding of the issue.
She said this when asked to comment on the action that could be taken against the company concerned following the suspension of the halal certification on two Cadbury chocolate products by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) after the discovery that it contained pig DNA (porcine) last Saturday.
Earlier, the Editor of the Economic News Service of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Mikhail Raj Abdullah gave a briefing on the operations of Bernama to the minister, followed by a visit to the news room of the Editorial Department, BernamaTV and Radio24 Bernama. – Bernama