Malaysian senior minister makes police report over fake news that he does not welcome S’poreans

PUTRAJAYA — Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has cautioned the public against being duped by fake news, as he has also recently been a victim of it.

During his daily press conference on Saturday (June 13), he held up a printed screenshot of a tweet, which alleged that he did not welcome Singaporeans to Malaysia.

“Such things can strain the relations between our two countries,” he said.

He noted that Malaysia’s borders were still closed to all foreigners, including those from Singapore.

“The fake news apparently said I issued a statement that there is no need for Singaporeans to come to Malaysia if they merely wanted to fill petrol, wash cars, have dinners, and so on,” he said, adding that the false rumour was also spread via audio means with a dubbed voice.

“It also appears that my speech was vocally modified. I think all Malaysians are familiar with the sound of my voice, but maybe not Singaporeans," said Mr Ismail.

“On this matter, I have since filed a report with the police and Communications and Multimedia Commission, for further action against the perpetrators of this fake news.”

Mr Ismail, who is also Defence Minister, said earlier that as of Saturday, 266 investigation papers have been opened by the police and the commission over fake news related to Covid-19.

Of these, 179 are still being investigated, 30 have been prosecuted in court, 11 have resulted in warning notices issued, and 18 individuals have pleaded guilty to the offence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

"There were no new investigation papers opened in the last two weeks, which shows that the public awareness on not sharing fake news has improved," he said.

He added that the Communications and Multimedia Ministry’s rapid response team has issued 332 denials and clarifications to date on fake news related to Covid-19, and urged the public to verify any news through the www.sebenarnya.my portal.

"I hope the public will verify the news before disseminating unverified content. Do not share information if you are not sure (of its veracity). The government views this matter seriously and will not compromise with those sharing fake news."

Section 233 of the Act carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a jail term not exceeding one year, or both. AGENCIES