PETALING JAYA: More than 200 mediation cases at the grassroots level were resolved last year, says the Interfaith Harmony Committee (Harmoni).
It said 215 mediation cases were resolved, adding that there were 571 community mediators resolving said conflicts in a non-litigation manner.
“To date, there are eight community mediation centres and we are proposing to add another five this year,” it said in a statement yesterday.
These were among the findings presented during the first Harmoni meeting for the year, held yesterday.
The committee is co-chaired by National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.
Harmoni was set up in August 2020. It replaced the Committee to Promote Inter-Religious Harmony and Understanding Among Religious Adherents, which was established in 2010 and dissolved on Dec 31, 2019.
Harmoni also said that the National Unity Ministry formed a Unity Issues Management Committee which has representation from 12 government agencies.
‘This is to discuss the implementation of mitigation measures and strategic interventions in regards to unity matters,” it said.
Harmoni said 25 religious leaders were appointed to be part of its committee, with their terms set to last until Dec 31 next year.
This comprises 10 Muslim representatives, four each representing Buddhists and Christians, two each representing Hindus and Taoists, and one each representing Sikhs, Baha’is and a representative from Sarawak’s Unit for Other Religions (Unifor).
According to the statement, Aaron said his ministry will continue conducting interfaith dialogues to promote mutual respect and understanding among the diverse Malaysian community.
“The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) also expressed confidence that Harmoni is a strategic platform to discuss unity issues in a mature and constructive manner.
“Mohd Na’im also hoped that it can provide a significant impact towards national harmony, based on the principles of justice, tolerance and mutual understanding,” read the statement.
On Tuesday, Aaron told the Dewan Rakyat that there was no need for a new law to address racism, as current laws are enough to deal with these issues.
