Acts of hatred or contempt of Rulers already addressed under Sedition Act 1948, says academic
PETALING JAYA: Calls for a new law to specifically criminalise insults against Malaysia’s royal institution are unnecessary as existing legislation already covers such offences, said analysts.
Inconsistent enforcement and the rise of AI-driven content are complicating efforts to curb provocative online discourse, they said.
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University of Tasmania Asian Studies Professor Dr James Chin said such acts are already addressed under the Sedition Act 1948, specifically Section 3(1)(f), which defines a “seditious tendency” as any act that brings “hatred or contempt or excites disaffection against any Ruler or against any government”.
On May 16, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia president Datuk Ibrahim Ali called for a special law to address insults against the royal institution following the circulation of a caricature allegedly insulting the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
He proposed a Sovereignty of the Rulers Bill to curb acts deemed insulting or provocative towards the monarchy.
Chin said 3R (race, religion and royalty) provocations are becoming more frequent, partly driven by AI tools that make manipulation easier.
“That is getting very dangerous because for ordinary people it is very difficult to tell whether AI pictures are real or fake,” he told theSun.
He said AI-generated visuals could easily inflame public sentiments as most people lack the ability to distinguish authentic material from fabricated content.
Chin said social media has not necessarily made people more extreme but the anonymity it provides has emboldened such behaviour.
“So, before social media, if you could be anonymous, people would also behave this way. In the old days, we had anonymous flying letters.”
He added that enforcement remains complicated because public perception of selective action has weakened trust in authorities.
Chin said Malaysia could still balance free speech and respect for sensitive institutions but only if laws are enforced consistently and without bias.
He said Malaysia’s political environment, shaped by race and religion, makes it difficult to fully resolve such tensions.
Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Prof Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said 3R-related issues continue to surface online because cyberspace offers greater freedom and weaker regulatory oversight.
He said such content is often amplified by Malaysia’s racially and religiously charged political landscape, combined with the openness of digital platforms.
“These provocations will at times catch the eyes of the regulators but perpetrators will be able to get away most of the time.”
Azeem said social media has also encouraged impulsive behaviour when discussing sensitive issues.
“Keyboard warriors have an illusion that their true identity is not revealed online, and this would in turn lead to them becoming more reckless.”
He said enforcement alone could not resolve the problem, describing hate speech as a global phenomenon driven by bias and prejudice.
“The key is to be able to respect differences of opinion and to keep political debate civil and within permissible boundaries.
