Comms minister insists action against pro-Opposition postings not a curb on free speech
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil today insisted that action taken against certain social media postings published by pro-Opposition leaders or supporters is by the book amid allegations that the Anwar administration is attempting to suppress dissent.
Fahmi said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission — which is under his ministry’s purview — is mandated to “regulate and act against the spread of fake information or content that is deemed offensive, threatening and defamatory”.
“MCMC actually receives complaints from various parties with regards to any matters related to social media.
“It is not just limited to the issues of 3Rs but any content that is deemed offensive based on Act 588,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat, referring to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
The 3Rs refer to "race, religion and the royal institution:, which are regarded as sensitive topics in Malaysia.
Fahmi said the MCMC can take action based on any breach of the guidelines provided under that Act.
He was responding to Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadli Shaari of PAS who claimed the MCMC is being used to shield the ruling coalition from criticism.
Ahmad Fadhli claimed MCMC’s attempt to take down the posting about PKR’s alleged link to Liberal International (LI)was proof of government censorship, even as the party had clarified that it had never officially joined the group.
Liberal International is said to be supportive of the Israeli government, which is being accused of committing war crimes in its war against the de facto Palestinian government Hamas, in occupied Gaza.
PKR leaders, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, called the claim that his party is linked to LI a malicious attempt to smear the current leadership using false information but the Opposition has insisted that the information is genuine.
Ahmad Fadli, when posing a supplementary question to Fahmi in the House this morning argued that the ruling coalition should have not demanded for articles containing the said information to be taken down, and instead be debated openly.
"We received information from the public that the legal request for them to be taken down was filed by MCMC, and to me this is proof that the commission is being used to serve the interests of parties in the government. By right they should not be taken down but countered in an open debate," he said.
The Pasir Mas MP had also asked the minister for the decision on the appeal filed by the Islamist party's publication Harakah's management against the revocation of media passes for its writers.
Fahmi confirmed that the Information Department has received the letter and the appeal would be deliberated soon. The Information Department is the authority that issues official media passes.
"I will meet them soon but what I want to raise here is the matter of journalistic ethics. We are ready, like the prime minister said the other day he is ready to forgive and it shouldn't be a problem," he said.
Earlier this week, Anwar called out PAS leaders in Parliament for using its newspaper to spread defamatory statements against his administration, accusing its clerical Ulama Wing of using its publications Harakah and HarakahDaily to make false claims linking him to Israel.
