Govt scraps national harmony commission plan

The national unity ministry has dropped plans to establish a national harmony commission, following a review of the proposal that involved multiple stakeholder consultations. Minister Aaron Ago Dagang announced the decision after engaging with civil society groups, government agencies, academics, community leaders, and other parties to assess the commission's scope, implications, challenges, and feasibility.

Despite the initial support in principle from the government in 2019, the ministry concluded that the commission would duplicate functions of existing institutions and incur unnecessary additional expenses. Instead, the ministry will concentrate on bolstering the current national unity and integration department, Rukun Tetangga communities, and community mediators to effectively manage social harmony.