TAWAU: Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil described the actions of certain parties misusing social media to spread slander, shame individuals, and issue criminal threats as excessive.
He said one of the latest incidents involved a death threat against forensic pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu, the first witness in the inquest into the death of teenager Zara Qairina, which led to the arrest of a former headmaster in Semporna, Sabah.
“This is excessive. We have the right to speak up, but there are limits and boundaries.
“It cannot reach the point of slander or issuing death threats against others, which violates the law.
“For example, in an incident I deeply regret, a former headmaster in Semporna was arrested for spreading a statement with criminal threats on social media, urging that Dr Jessie Hiu, the first witness in the inquest into Zara’s death, be killed,” he said at the Hari Bersama Komuniti and Sabah-level launch of Prime, held at the National Information Dissemination Centre (Nadi) in Kampung Sungai Imam today.
Fahmi said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) also detected more than 40 false and offensive pieces of content related to 3R issues (race, religion and royalty) that went viral, including during the incident when a woman walked onto the main stage with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, at the recent National Day celebration.
He said that among the content was a false claim that the woman was of Chinese descent, when in fact she was Malay.
“A state assemblyman and two other individuals have been summoned for spreading fake news.
“Fake accounts used to spread slander have also been removed through MCMC’s action,” he said.
He added that the police and MCMC will continue to take firm action against any party, including political cyber troopers, who try to link the incident to political figures and dignitaries when it is completely untrue.
“We leave it to the authorities to take further action,” he said.
Earlier in the programme, he officiated the nation’s second Prime unit in Kampung Sungai Imam after the first was launched in Cyberjaya two months ago.
He said the initiative will be expanded across Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah to ensure that communities, including security forces and the media, have internet access during disaster situations.
In addition to being equipped with a mobile antenna, the unit is also fitted with drone technology and loudspeakers to enable cut-off victims to access the internet and receive instructions directly from rescue teams.
“As a start, I have directed this Prime unit to be mobilised in the Kalabakan parliamentary constituency to reach rural areas without Nadi centres.
“It will not only function during disasters but also expand digital literacy, cyber security and telemedicine programmes.
“This unit will also be deployed with the police and fire department before its use is extended to other agencies, including the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), to ensure communication readiness during rescue operations,” he said.
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