End JASA’s manufacture of ‘fake news’, Kluang MP tells Putrajaya

KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — DAP lawmaker Liew Chin Tong accused the Department of Special Affairs (JASA) of abusing its powers to spread propaganda against his party for political mischief, even after the allegation had been disproved.

The Kluang MP claimed the government agency under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry had recently released false information through the WhatsApp text platform purporting the DAP to be behind a proposal to remove a Ramadan bazaar in his constituency in 2007, before he became a lawmaker.

“The allegations in JASA’s update are completely untrue and bear elements of bad faith. That Umno could use the propaganda machinery of the government to facilitate false accusations and perpetuate falsehood against its political rivals, shows the classless depths to which its abuse of power has reached,” Liew said in a statement.

He pointed out that MCA Kluang chairman Gan Ping Sieu has since admitted to the deed, but that the DAP team had been attacked at the bazaar last week because of the spread of false accusations first made by Johor state executive councillor Jais Sardy.

Liew who is also Johor DAP chairman said JASA’s manufacture of propaganda was contrary to its motto “Kebenaran Terserlah Negara Cemerlang” (When truth prevails, the nation excels).

He urged its minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak to instruct JASA to “stop circulating fake news as fodder for political accusations”.

“JASA is tasked to provide accurate information to the public, and is given an annual operating budget exceeding RM20 million. It should be noted that the budget during the year before and after the general election (2013 and 2014) are higher than other years,” Liew said.

He added that the government agency’s operating budget has been set at over RM21 million, even reaching as much as RM24.57 million in 2014 though it was allocated RM22.89 million this year.

“It is unfortunate that millions of ringgit in national funds is used to spread fake news, while at the same time the government sees it fit to cut allocations for public interest sectors such as education and healthcare,” Liew said.

He argued that JASA’s budget could have been distributed to improve other public interest areas, such as health and education, which had suffered massive cuts in Budget 2017.

“If it is being used in such a manner, JASA does not benefit the people but only serves the political purposes of BN.

“Such department should be abolished in order to trim unnecessary expenses, so that the government can spend more on the matters that really benefit the ordinary people, including education, healthcare, and public transport,” he added.

The JASA update purported that the real reason why Liew and the Pakatan Harapan delegation had been attacked at the Ramadan bazaar last week was because DAP had protested and called for the bazaar site to be moved.

Liew noted that MCA’s Gan who was the then Mengkibol assemblyman, had owned up to leading a protest against the town bazaar and made representations to the District Officer back in 2007.