KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — Malay rights group Perkasa today backed a former minister’s proposal for Malaysia to create a local Facebook alternative following China’s footsteps, saying this will help suppress seditious remarks such as racial and religious insults.

Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali also suggested that users of the popular social network be made to register in order to remove all anonymity.

“This would be able to stop all insults against any religion and race,” Syed Hassan told Malay Mail Online today.

“Users should also provide accurate personal details when registering with ‘FB Malaysia.’ This will make all parties afraid of doing wrong on Facebook. They will be more responsible,”  the senior leader of the Malay rights group added.

Yesterday, Social and Cultural Affairs Advisor to the Government Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim reportedly said that he has presented a proposal to Putrajaya for the creation of another social networking site to control seditious statements.

Rais also suggested that authorities gain power to temporarily block access to Facebook prior to investigations of complaints against its users.

Today, Syed Hassan said the government should bar local users from accessing the social network from outside the country altogether.

“Malaysia must block the usage of Facebook that is based overseas. Perkasa wants this expedited. What are we waiting for? he said.

Police previously said they have problems investigating complaints against Facebook users and accounts registered abroad as they could not always identify the individuals behind offending posts and comments.

Syed Hassan said today that Malaysia having its own social networking site would also prevent insults against the royalty and the nation, besides preventing local women from falling victim to online fraud.

“It’s very good because it will be able to stop women from being cheated by men who use false identities and pictures,” he said.

American business magazine Forbes said in a 2012 article that while China does not allow access to Facebook, along with other websites such as YouTube and Twitter, there are two social networking sites operating in the country: Renren and Sina Weibo.

Both sites abide by China’s strict censorship of online content, blocking and deleting information that does not conform with the Chinese government’s guidelines.

Earlier this month, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad called for local internet access to be censored, after Facebook blocked access to his blog following a post criticising the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek earlier triggered outrage when he was reported as saying that Putrajaya would consider blocking Facebook if it found it necessary.

But he later denied that there were any plans to do so, saying that the act was “quite impossible”.