Decision taken to have more stakeholders included in discussions, including MPs from both sides of political divide, lawyers and NGOs.
KOTA TINGGI: The special committee set up to study the legal aspects regarding the spread of fake news has held its first meeting, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said said.
She said more stakeholders will be called upon to discuss the issue of fake social media accounts created to spread false and inappropriate content.
Such fake news could adversely affect the country’s social and economic balance, as well as national security, she added
Bernama reported Azalina as saying the stakeholders would include members of non-governmental organisations, lawyers, lecturers as well as MPs from Barisan Nasional and the opposition.
“I do not want to invite those who say something in a meeting, but say something else outside.
“I don’t want to invite those who have begun claiming all sorts of things even before the meeting takes place.
“I want to invite MPs from BN and the oppposition who genuinely see that this is a big problem, a national security problem, whereby such fake news can threaten the country,” he told reporters after launching the Pengerang Tour 2018 programme here today.
Azalina, who is also Pengerang MP, said that as the ruling government, BN could draft the law without having a committee-level discussion.
“We have full power. There is nothing in the Federal Constitution which requires us to set up a parliamentary committee.
“What we are doing here (by having the committee) only goes to show the prime minister’s courtesy to hear the views of all the parties concerned.”
Meanwhile, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang suggested that the committee on fake news be replaced by a bipartisan committee.
“The committee can draft laws and have a mechanism to tackle fake news without giving more powers to the authorities to harass and persecute dissent.
“No one would disagree that fake news designed to incite hatred and poison the minds of the people, which affects both the government and opposition, must be dealt with swiftly and severely.
“But what credibility does this present committee have?” he said in a statement.
Kit Siang mentioned his personal experience with his 15-year-old grandson who was the victim of malicious “fake news”.
The boy was alleged to have sexually molested a fellow girl student in his school, and photographs and the identity of the girl were even disseminated.
It turned out that the girl, international chess play Anya Corke from Hong Kong, had never met the boy or even entered the country.
“No action was taken against those who perpetrated the fake news against my grandson, although a police report was lodged by his father, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.”
Kit Siang said even now there was fake news being hurled at his party, alleging that it is “anti-Malay or anti-Islam”.
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