Bar president Karen Cheah proposed three bills — the racial and religious hate crimes bill, the national harmony and reconciliation bill, and the national harmony and reconciliation commission bill.

These bills, she said, would act as a replacement for the controversial Sedition Act 1948, and help in “achieving the balance of upholding freedom of speech while maintaining public security”.

Cheah’s comments come after former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that promoting a multiethnic country is unconstitutional.

He also said Malaysia was never described as a multiethnic nation in the Federal Constitution, as the supreme law of the land “emphasises the ‘Malayness of Malaysia’”.

Cheah said the bills would make it an offence to incite racial and religious hatred, while preventing unfair discrimination.

The bills would also impose an obligation not just on the government but everyone to promote equality, Cheah added.

She went on to say that under the bills, a commission consisting of people from various racial, religious and political backgrounds would play a key function in being a “coordination point” among Putrajaya, civil society organisations and various stakeholders to engage in a more robust discussion about national integration.

“Malaysia is made up of diverse races and faiths. Instead of politicians resorting to hateful speech and hurling accusations to score political points, more effort should be channelled towards promoting constructive debate and dialogue.

“We ought to be proud of our uniqueness as a multicultural society. We urge our unity government to thoroughly consider these proposed bills to ensure that a culture of acceptance is cultivated among the rakyat,” Cheah said.