KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — The Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 is expected to be passed in the Dewan Rakyat today.

"The Dewan Rakyat will not adjourn until the Bill is passed today,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said in the House.

The Bill was tabled in the lower House of Parliament for the first reading on Monday.

The federal Opposition have claimed that the Bill was being rushed through Parliament and turned into law to be used by the government against its critics in GE14.

However, the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) rejected the Opposition’s claim.

BNBBC chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Samad told a "live” discussion on Facebook yesterday that the Bill had only been tabled for the first reading this week and had yet to be debated and passed in the Dewan Rakyat or the Dewan Negara, which are the necessary steps before it can be made into law.

According to the Bill, fake news is interpreted as any news, information, data and reports which is or are wholly or partly false whether in the form of features, visuals or audio recordings or in any other form capable of suggesting words or ideas.

The proposed law seeks to penalise those who create, offer, circulate, print and publish fake news or publications containing fake news with a jail term of up to 10 years, a maximum fine of RM500,000, or both.

Those found guilty of persisting in spreading fake news would be subjected to a fine of RM100,000 if they fail to remove such publications and a maximum fine of RM3,000 for every day the "offence” continues to be committed.