INTERVENTION BY
MOHAMMAD AL HAFIZ BIN MOHD NADZIR
DELEGATE
INFORMAL CONSULTATION ON THE UN PLAN OF ACTION TO
SAFEGUARD RELIGIOUS SITES
ORGANISED BY THE UNITED NATIONS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS (UNAOC)
2 DECEMBER 2019, NEW YORK
His Excellency Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos
High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. At the outset, Malaysia wishes to reaffirm its support to the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites.
2. As a multi-racial and multi-religious country, religious tolerance is one of the main factors in preserving Malaysia’s peace and harmony. Insulting any religion is a criminal offence punishable under Malaysian laws. For that reason, the Government is committed to establish a culture of tolerance and harmony in order to better preserve peace and harmony in Malaysia. Article 8 is the cornerstone of constitutional protection of the rights to equality and non-discrimination in Malaysia which states that: “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.
3. The right to freedom of religion is also constitutionally guaranteed; any person may profess, practice and propagate its own religion subject to Article 11(4) on the propagation of religion.
4. The Government has undertaken various initiatives to promote understanding, tolerance and responsibility as well as to advance an agenda for peace, harmony and justice, especially in promoting freedom of religion and belief. Notably, the Government had established the Committee for Promoting Understanding and Harmony among Religious Adherents in which it provides an avenue to discuss various religious issues. The Government is also looking into the establishment of the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission to review and recommend policies and programmes aimed at enhancing unity and integration of the different races and eliminate discrimination. Apart from this, the Government had also rebranded the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) to the People’s Harmony Consultative Council (PHCC) on 12 June 2019. The PHCC will act as a platform to discuss challenging issues among Malaysia’s multifaceted society as well as to identify solutions towards closing the gap which hinders unity and to globally position Malaysia as a nation that upholds harmony and prosperity as envisaged in the 2030 Shared Prosperity Vision.
5. In protecting and preserving the religious sites in Malaysia, 87 religious sites have been gazetted under the Act 645 as Heritage Sites whereas 21 places of worships have been declared as National Heritage.
6. In addition, the National Heritage Act 2005 states that no one shall, without the approval of the Commissioner of Heritage, demolish, disturb, obstruct, modify, clear, destroy or do any activities or actions that would likely cause damage to a registered heritage and religious sites. Any person or party, who contravenes this Act, shall be guilty of an offence and can be convicted.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
7. In closing, Malaysia wishes to reiterate its full support to the work of the UNAOC in promoting global peace. It is hoped that UNAOC would continue to serve as the centre-point for the promotion of inter-faith and inter-cultural programmes among all UN Member States. Malaysia also hopes that the initiatives of the UNAOC through the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites around the world will prevail and bear fruit in ensuring places of worship remain sacred and respected by all people in the spirit of fostering the values of compassion, respect and religious pluralism.
I thank you.