Ministry has not received 3R related reports during twin by-elections campaign so far - Teo

JOHOR BHARU - The Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD) has not received any reports on the spread of offensive narratives related to the 3R issues of race, religion, and royalty, particularly on social media, during the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections so far.

Its Deputy Minister, Teo Nie Ching, however, said the special committee, which includes the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Royal Malaysia Police, will continue to monitor the situation until the campaign ends

"We will continue to monitor social media platforms with regard to the 3R issues during the campaign. We received 26 complaints during the state elections (last month), which have been referred to the police for further action,” she said.

She was speaking to reporters after visiting the installation site of the Starlink satellite device at Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Temon here today.

Teo added that the current social media campaign is rather lukewarm compared to the state elections.

"This is the challenge for Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), to draw out voters on Sept 9,” she said when asked to comment on the ‘gloomy’ Johor by-elections compared to the six-state elections.

On another note, queried on the alleged blocking of several portals or websites by MCMC, she responded that the commission does not act arbitrarily to do so, without a valid reason.

She said action is only taken when there are elements of fake news found on the portals.

"We have no intention to stop anyone’s campaign, but if they touch on sensitive 3R issues or fake news which could have a negative impact on the society, MCMC must act upon it,” she said.

She added that the Ministry is also prepared to have dialogues with non-governmental organisations towards a better understanding of the boundaries of freedom of speech and freedom of information. - BERNAMA