JPNIN creates a Community Tension Index to measure social cohesion and address 3R issues, says minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of National Unity and National Integration (JPNIN) is undertaking a study to develop a Community Tension Index aimed at measuring social cohesion and monitoring issues related to racial and religious sensitivities nationwide.
Minister of National Unity Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the findings would serve as a key strategic reference for the government in formulating early intervention measures, addressing sensitive issues and strengthening harmony within Malaysia’s diverse society.
He said the move was timely as threats to national unity have increasingly shifted into the digital sphere, citing the removal of 1,493 pieces of online content related to religion, royalty and race (3R) issues between Jan 1, 2025 and Jan 31, 2026, through enforcement actions by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
“Today, social media algorithms can easily create the phenomenon of ‘filter bubbles’ and ‘echo chambers’, contributing to greater polarisation, narrowing the space for healthy discourse and widening gaps in understanding among communities,” he said.
He said this when speaking at the 2026 Harmony Symposium organised by the Secretariat of the Malaysian Parliamentary Cross-Party Group on Racial and Religious Harmony at the Parliament Building here today.
As part of longer-term efforts to strengthen social cohesion, Aaron said JPNIN has also conducted engagement sessions with various stakeholders to gather preliminary views on the proposal to establish a National Harmony Commission (SKN).
“The proposed commission would serve as an institutional mechanism focused on early prevention, mediation and conflict resolution harmoniously and constructively, while also investigating issues that may affect national harmony,” he said.
