| BN Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin is strongly against proposals to tighten the government's clutches on the Internet.
users, who are mostly youths, will not accept federal government attempts to tighten controls on the Internet.
On a statement on his blog today, Khairy expressed strong reservations against the Home Ministry's proposal to expand press laws and make it enforceable on Internet content.
azlanThe 84 percent of Malaysia's 8.5 million Facebook users who are aged 35 and below, said Khairy, will find the proposals hard to swallow as they have embraced Internet media consumption.
“They will definitely be offended and be unable to accept the proposed amendments which will restrict their media channels and social networks which is part and parcel of their lives.
“Lets not be rigid and take the easy way out by tightening the grip by using laws at a time when society is increasingly smarter and matured,” wrote Khairy.
'Retrogressive, undemocratic'
Khairy was commenting on Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam's announcement that amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA) would be tabled at the Dewan Rakyat in March.
The amendments aim, said Mahmood, to address loopholes in the current laws that allows the online news and other online publications to flourish outside the scope of the PPPA which is used to regulate all forms of print media.
Khairy described the move as “retrogressive”.
“In addition, it gives negative signals about the government's commitment towards strenghtening the democratic system, the country's attractiveness as a investment destination and the development of technology,” he said.
Khairy added that currently, there are already sufficient laws to deal with Internet content that are seditious, insulting or criminal in nature.
“Don't we already have laws, such as the Penal Code, Sedition Act 1948, Communications and Multimedia Malaysia Act 1998 and other laws? In fact, those who are victimised can also take action in court through the Defamation Act 1957,” he said.
Khairy said that he considers the PPPA to be “irrelevant” to modern Malaysia, adding, that it should be replaced with a self-regulating Media Complaints Commission, which he had already proposed to Parliament.
Comments from other political leaders follow:
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, PKR communications director
The BN government's proposal to extend the scope of the PPPA to include the Internet media shows that its commitment to reform and civil liberty is merely superficial.
nik nazmi nik ahmad book launch 210310 03The government has repeatedly shown signs that they want to go further in curbing the Internet, particularly after the strong gains by Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 general election.
In 2009, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim announced plans for an Internet filter, similar to China's notorious 'Green Dam' software, but was forced to backtrack after strong opposition from the public.
The latest announcement is a sign that Najib Abdul Razak's government is not giving up in its plans to stifle civil liberty and political freedom in Malaysia. This latest outrage clearly shows that BN is still stuck in the old politics of command and control.
This government is sending a dead-wrong signal to foreign investors, many of whom had been wooed previously by the MSC Bill of Guarantees. Without the transparency and accountability that the Internet and a freer press engenders, all plans for reform - whether the so-called NEM, ETP or GTP - will remain futile.
Teresa Kok, Taman Seputih MP (DAP)
I am disgusted, but not surprised, at the Home Ministry's regressive plans to expand the scope of PPPA to cover online 'publications' such as blogs, YouTube and even the private space that is Facebook.
NONEThis move is not surprising because the government is increasingly threatened by the rise of the online media as an agent for change and democratisation in Malaysia, as demonstrated by the watershed March 2008 election.
Therefore, the government's rush to have the amendments passed by the Dewan Rakyat in March 2011 is but another measure to further strangle the voice of the people and tighten the government's control prior to the Sarawak state election and the upcoming general election, plunging Malaysia further towards becoming an authoritarian regime.
If the Home Ministry insists on tabling the amendments, I urge Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to allow adequate time - months and not weeks - to sufficiently brief the people and to hold public consultations with MPs, NGOs and the rakyat for the proposed amendments to have any credibility, if it should proceed at all. |
Comments