Offences Involving Misuse Of Social Media Under Control - Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- The government believes that offences involving the misuse of social media in this country are under control although there is no barrier to information flow on the Internet as it is upholding the assurance given under the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees. Communication and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said although the people in this country were free to use the social media, control under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 was actively enforced to act against any misuse (of social media). "Under this Act, until last year, more than 6,000 websites that violated the law including insulting religion and the monarchy had been barred. "The other offences included inciting and slandering with action taken under the Defamation Act, Sedition Act and the Penal Code," he said when winding up the debate for his ministry on the motion of thanks for the royal address in the Lower House of Parliament Tuesday. On the 'Blackout 505' campaign which protested the results of the 13th General Election, the minister said it was now dead after the opposition MPs took their oath of office in the Lower House of Parliament recently. "The government is aware that based on the recent general election results, a lot of propaganda had been played up.(Opposition) supporters were asked to gather to take over the government but they lacked support. This shows that the people were still rational in evaluating the slander spewed; that these were not true. "They said all kinds of things like there were 40,000 Bangladeshi phantom voters during the elections and there was a blackout. If these were true, where?" he said. Ahmad Shabery said the people in the end dismissed the propaganda as lies when the opposition elected representatives took their oath of office although they had earlier stated that they would boycott the swearing-in ceremony. "If they always lie; first once, then twice and after that many times, surely the people will get angry," he added. On another note, Ahmad Shabery said the government, through RTM, provided a special channel for live streaming of the Dewan Rakyat proceeding which could be accessed via rtmparlimen.rtm.gov.my. "This is a start, a new shift for us to increase access for the public to know the issues raised and what really happens in the Dewan Rakyat (Lower House of Parliament." He said the live telecast of the Lower House of Parliament proceeding for one-and-a-half hours over TV1 was watched by about one million viewers each day. Ahmad Shabery said this showed that the public including in the rural areas, according to the feedback he received, had been waiting for the various issues to be discussed in the Lower House of Parliamant. He said the highest rating - 1.8 million viewers - was recorded on June 24, the first day of the current session's Lower House of Parliament meeting which saw the parliamentarians taking their oath of office. -- BERNAMA