PETALING JAYA: The government is considering several options in its effort to tackle 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

       The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) said this includes repealing existing laws or introducing new ones.

       Following an engagement session with stakeholders on 3R issues on Friday (July 21) morning, Azalina said Putrajaya is looking into reviewing the relevancy of current laws and if they are still applicable in this century.

       She said the authorities are facing numerous challenges in enforcing existing laws, especially due to ever-changing technology, which includes social media where information can be freely shared anonymously.

       "Three main questions were raised by participants (firstly) on the repeal of existing laws and the introduction of a new one; whether to repeal the Sedition Act 1948 and replace it with a new and more specific legislation.

       "(Secondly) on amending existing laws that can ensure the 3R issues will be handled holistically, or (third) is to maintain the status quo with no changes to the laws and 3R issues will be handled using other approaches," she said in a statement.

       According to Azalina, the outcome of the discussion would be tabled to the Cabinet.

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       The engagement session, which was held at the Asian International Arbitration Centre, was attended by at least 50 representatives from the Federal Government, Home Ministry, the police, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, lawyers, civil societies, non-governmental organisations, academics and religious organisations.