KUALA LUMPUR: Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming has defended the proposal for community service as a penalty under the Local Government Act, stating it does not equate to slavery.
Addressing the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (July 21), Nga emphasised that the Federal Constitution upholds basic human rights.
"I beg to differ. The Federal Constitution guarantees basic human rights, but for offences that have been convicted in the court, it is not a form of slavery," he asserted while concluding the debate on amendments to the Local Government Act, which include introducing mandatory community service for littering offences.
During the debate, Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang) expressed concerns that community service could be seen as a form of slavery and potentially unconstitutional.
"According to the Bill, community service is defined as an unpaid job or service. I understand that any work that is not paid can bring an element of forced slavery," he argued, suggesting that some form of allowance be provided to avoid categorisation as slavery.
The proposed Bill introduces subsection 104a(1), which empowers courts to issue a community service order for individuals convicted of breaching by-laws under the Act.
