INTERVENTION BY
MR. MOHD SUHAIMI AHMAD TAJUDDIN
CHARGE D’AFFAIRES a.i.,
PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
LAUNCHING BY THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE
UN STRATEGY AND PLAN OF ACTION (POA) ON HATE SPEECH
ECOSOC CHAMBER, NEW YORK, 18 JUNE 2019
Mr. Secretary General,
Distinguished Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My delegation would like to commend the Secretary-General on his leadership in this subject matter and for coming up with the UN Strategy and Plan of Action (POA) on hate speech.
2. Hate speech is indeed dangerous and is a serious threat to any nation’s fabrics of communities especially those with multicultural and multireligious societies.
3. A speech by an influential leader can spread like wildfire, more so with the assistance of digital technology particularly social media.
4. Of course, social media should not be blamed, but such hate speeches must be curtailed. We have seen the damage that it has caused in various tragic incidents that struck the world in recent months. It is something that none of us would want to see. The human rights of the people who love peace must prevail over the minorities who just want to create chaos for their own self-interest.
5. Malaysia has put in place various legislations to penalise hate crimes including those committed in manipulation of technologies. At the same time, we have been working hard to promote understanding and harmony among various ethnic and religious groups which is vital in preventing the people from being easily swayed by speeches and statements that incite them to hate each other.
6. We again thank the Secretary General for his commitment in addressing this issue and hope that the international community would take his call seriously in order for us to create global peace and harmony.
Thank you.