PETALING JAYA, Aug 7 ― PKR today said they might send out a petition to members of the Multimedia Super Corridor’s (MSC) international advisory panel, including former member Bill Gates, amid a plan by the federal government to officially register news portals on grounds of national security.
The opposition party’s strategic director, Sim Tze Tzin, said the proposal mooted by newly-minted Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak is a “more draconian” approach to managing the country’s media.
“News portals such as The Malaysian Insider, Malay Mail Online, Malaysiakini and many others have a lot at stake should this come into being,” Sim said at a news conference here.
“Therefore, we will go against any effort to stifle internet and media freedom that is already pathetic.
“If the amendments truly go through, we are mulling to send a petition to all Fortune 500 companies, and we will also send a petition to the MSC International Advisory Panel, including Bill Gates, one of the Panel’s former advisor,” he added.
Sim said the petition was to urge the firms and Gates to respond and “enlighten” Putrajaya as to the downsides of its planned move to restrict internet freedom.
The Bayan Baru MP said that the proposal has also sent a “chilling effect” to all internet users, pointing out that it would soon hamper the already waning investor confidence and affect Malaysia's economic survivability.
“He has placed Malaysia's economy in a dangerous position now, as in the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees (BoG) which clearly stipulates that the government is committed to uphold internet freedom and to ensure no censorship of the internet.”
Sim said that the BoG has succeeded in attracting hundreds of billions in long term investment to MSC Malaysia.
“In 2014 alone, Malaysia successfully drew RM 20.09 billion in new investment for the online economy sector, and this saw increased employment opportunities by close to 10,000,” he said, adding that the annual internet growth in Malaysia stands at 11 per cent, superseding the country's four per cent yearly economic growth.
“We have to also safeguard the investors interest,” he added.
PKR's Communications Director Fahmi Fadzil alleged that the planned amendment scheduled for tabling in the Parliament in October is a heightened bid to silence dissent and not int the interest of national security as claimed by Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.
“It is a concerted effort to clamp down on voice)s of dissent who are just too angry with the way the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal is being handled.
“Datuk Seri Najib has to be more open and democratic in viewing the criticisms against him, especially via social media. He cannot use the “trial by social media” rhetoric as a justification for amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 18 and the Communications and Multimedia Commission Act (MCMC) 1998, to silence the people who are angered by the widespread corruption and problems affecting the country owing to flawed governance,” Fahmi added.
Putrajaya is currently studying proposals to register online news portals as part of a raft of new cyber laws to be tabled in Parliament in October, Salleh was reported saying yesterday.
English-language daily The Star quoted him saying that the changes to the law will include the provision of power for the MCMC to block any site deemed as “a threat to national security”.
The proposal was made in the aftermath of public backlash over the Najib adminstration’s handling of corruption allegations surrounding debt-stricken state investment arm 1MDB and has been seen as an attempt to silence criticism against the government.
Salleh, however, has denied this.
“It has nothing to do with that. We want comprehensive amendments. The laws were introduced in 1998, and since then, there has been a lot of developments,” he was quoted saying.
