KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 — Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong tabled today a Bill to cancel the newly Anti-Fake News Act passed by Parliament just months earlier.

The Bill is expected to be passed at the policy stage during this parliamentary sitting which ends on August 16.

The controversial Act was rushed through and gazetted on April 11, mere days before the announcement of the 14th general election and was among the laws that Pakatan Harapan had promised to abolish in its manifesto.

The law has a vague definition on what is “fake news” and allows the government to determine what is fake and what is factual with harsh punishments.

Advertisement

The law was applicable not only to news establishments but to all forms of media, including social media applications and platforms like WhatsApp.