M'sia to repeal Anti-Fake News Act in first parliamentary sitting, says minister

KUALA LUMPUR — The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government will move to repeal the Anti-Fake News Act in the first Parliament sitting after the general election on June 25.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said his ministry has a very short window, but will work hard to meet the timeline.

“The repeal of the Anti-Fake News Act remains one of the promises of the Pakatan Harapan government and we are totally committed to do so,” he told reporters after visiting the headquarters of national news agency Bernama here today.

He confirmed that the law that was gazetted in February will be repealed in totality.

Malaysia is among the first few countries to legislate policing of fake news. It was introduced by the previous Barisan Nasional government on March 26 and passed by Parliament on April 2, a month before the May 9 general election.

The controversial bill created a huge debate both in Malaysia and abroad, with critics accusing the then government of rushing the bill through the Parliament without sufficient deliberation or public debate so that it can be enforced during the campaign period of the election.

Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak however defended the need for the legislation, saying that it was needed to curb fake news, which he said was a threat to political stability and public order.

Mr Gobind on Monday also said media freedom is not absolute, adding that the government will relook certain provisions in the current legislation to ensure there are no loopholes that will lay it open to abuse.

He also said the government is open to the set-up of a media council to provide input on “the revolution the media was experiencing”.

Mr Gobind also said that statutory bodies under his ministry, including state broadcaster RTM and state news agency Bernama should move with the times to improve their services.

“They should be cognisant of the news value to the users in this information age,” he said. MALAY MAIL