PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Bar has called for a “national harmony framework” to be established to handle sensitive disputes through structured legal processes rather than knee-jerk responses.
Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab said recent disputes involving places of worship showed that these were not isolated incidents but deeper concerns that require structured responses grounded in the law.
Ezri said the lack of a national harmony framework has caused authorities to manage sensitive disputes reactively rather than through structured legal processes.
This meant that the government’s approach was more of crisis management instead of a proactive legal structure.
“A principled harmony framework would provide lawful mechanisms to address tensions relating to race, religion and other societal concerns in a consistent and transparent manner.
“Public sentiment on these matters should not be dismissed as transient political noise. Issues touching on identity, belief and equality resonate deeply with many Malaysians and require careful and lawful engagement.
“When left unresolved, falsehoods, misplaced narratives and social divisions will continue to fester and consequently threaten the fabric of Malaysian society. Such developments do not strengthen democratic governance or national cohesion,” he said in a statement.
Ezri said the Bar was prepared to contribute to dialogue and efforts in this area to bolster legal certainty, institutional credibility and social harmony.
Earlier this week, national unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang urged the police to take decisive action against those involved in recent incidents seen as a threat to Malaysia’s racial and religious harmony.
The incidents include the alleged stomping and defacing of the Quran; the alleged arson of vehicles belonging to an activist; an alleged attack on controversial preacher Zamri Vinoth; and a man’s alleged act of damaging the “trishul”, a sacred Hindu symbol.
