Amendments to the Multimedia Act and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act will be tabled in Parliament during the coming October session.

Newly-minted Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said today the amendments would include measures to deal with netizens who misuse the Internet, such as trying to topple the government.

Salleh said there might also be amendments to the Printing and Publications Act to reign in unfair criticism of the government.

"We have no problem with differences in opinion [...] but they use this new media with the intention to topple the country's leadership by spreading slander and accusations which have no basis.

"As a responsible government we can't grant freedom to the point we forget our responsibility to ensure national security," Salleh ( photo ) told reporters at a press conference at the ministry today.

However, he stressed that the amendments have been in the works for a long time and were not a reaction to Sarawak Report or The Edge .

Salleh also said the government would not shut down the internet.

'Internet used to destroy country'

"We are not blocking (internet) freedom. [...] There are things like banking and business that use the (internet) and this is not wrong.

"What we want to ensure is that the internet is not used to destroy the country," he said.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak yesterday hinted that there would be tigher laws to muzzle "unfair criticism" of the government online.

The MCMC had recently blocked whistleblower website BusineSarawak Report as a pre-emptive measure following its exposes on 1MDB, including allegations that RM2.6 billion had been deposited into Najib's personal accounts.

Business publication The Edge has also had its Financial Weekly and Financial Daily suspended by the Home Ministry for its exposes on the debt ridden sovereign wealth fund.

 

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