KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — The proposed fake news law will protect all including government critics, Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said today.
“No, no. Fake news (law) is not just for those in the government, but it is also for regular people and people who are not aligned to the government.
“We want to make sure that whatever that has got to do with national security, and which can affect race and religious ties as a result of these fake news, rightfully, legal action must be enforced. Nothing more than that,” he said, adding that the newly suggested controversial law would not be abused as a political weapon by Putrajaya.
Salleh said that the fake news committee would be placed under the Prime Minister’s Department, and not his ministry.
“You can look at other countries. They also initiate laws which are against fake news,” he told reporters after attending the Cultural Economic Development Agency’s (Cendana) report launch here.
Salleh also advised critics to not assume that any government action is politically motivated, adding that fake news also affects celebrities and the public.
Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said yesterday said that a special committee formed to draft laws to curb fake news will seek expert opinion on the media, constitutional issues and the internet, at its second meeting today.
She said the different views will look into the legal perspective of the proposed law and how it would conform within existing provisions.
The special committee on fake news was formed on January 30, following an announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that a law needs to be introduced to curb fake news as people could be incited to hate the government or cause public disorder.
