On the Sedition Act and the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, SMU Assistant Professor of Asian Studies Hoon Chang Yau agrees that the authorities should step in when people or groups “incite social discord, such as preaching bigotry and prejudice against those who disagree with them”. Nonetheless, he said that encouraging dialogue between religious groups could be the way forward for the new kinds of conflicts over values. He added that when groups perceive difference as threats or a social problem, they will try to assimilate or do away with those who are different. He said, "Dialogue is not an option, but the only way through which parties can respect and humanise differences – and, hopefully, come to see that they are not really that different."