Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Aaron said existing statutes such as the Penal Code, Sedition Act 1948, and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 were adequate for tackling racial and religious offences.

“We do not see the need to introduce a new law, as we already have many existing Acts that can address these offences,” he said in response to Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan).

Lim had asked about the government’s stance on enacting an Anti-Racial Discrimination Act in light of racial issues involving political figures and extremists, citing a recent incident involving a hawker in Sepang.

The hawker had sparked controversy for displaying a racially insensitive signboard while selling corn. He has since apologised and pledged not to commit such actions in the future.

However, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar) criticised what he called the government’s failure to enforce existing laws, particularly in the Sepang case.

He also called for legal action instead of merely accepting the hawker’s apology.

“When someone can openly display racism like this, it means they feel superior as if Indians are beneath them. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Aaron said the government had used a “reformative approach” to address the Sepang incident.

He also said the Rukun Tetangga and police had intervened, leading to the public apology from the trader.

“Mediation resolved the issue before it escalated any further,” he said.