Malaysia proposes jail for up to 10 years, fines for 'fake news'
Malaysia proposes jail for up to 10 years, fines for
'fake news'
Reuters Staff MARCH 25, 2018 / 10:18 PM / UPDATED 9 HOURS
AGO
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib
Razak’s government tabled a bill in parliament on Monday outlawing “fake news”,
with hefty fines and up to 10 years in jail, raising more concern about media
freedom in the wake of a multi-billion dollar graft scandal.
The bill was tabled ahead of a general election that is
expected to be called within weeks and as Najib faces widespread criticism over
the scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Under the Anti-Fake News 2018 bill, anyone who publishes
so-called fake news could face fines of up to 500,000 ringgit ($128,140), up to
10 years in jail, or both.
“The proposed Act seeks to safeguard the public against
the proliferation of fake news whilst ensuring the right to freedom of speech
and expression under the Federal Constitution is respected,” the government
said in the bill.
The government defined fake news as “news, information,
data and reports which is or are wholly or partly false” and included features,
visuals and audio recordings.
The law, which covers digital publications and social
media, would apply to offenders outside Malaysia, including foreigners, if
Malaysia or a Malaysian citizen were affected.
The government said in the bill it was hoped the public
would be more responsible and cautious in sharing news and information.
Opposition lawmakers have questioned the need for such a
law, arguing that the government already had broad powers over free speech and
the media.
“This is an attack on the press and an attempt to instill
fear among the rakyat (people) before GE14,” opposition lawmaker Ong Kian Ming
said on Twitter after the bill was tabled, using a Malaysian term for this
year’s election.
Parliament, where the government has a comfortable
majority, is expected to vote on the bill this week.
U.S. President Donald Trump popularized the term “fake
news”, which he used to describe media reports and organizations critical of
him.
The term quickly became part of the standard repertoire
of leaders in authoritarian countries such as Venezuela and Myanmar.
Governments elsewhere in Southeast Asia, including
Singapore and the Philippines, have also proposed laws aimed at clamping down
on the spread of “fake news”, to the dismay of media rights advocates.
‘UNQUESTIONABLE POWER’
Human rights group Amnesty International called for the
bill to be scrapped immediately.
“The vague and broad definition of ‘fake news’, combined
with severe punishments and arbitrary arrest powers for police, shows that this
is nothing but a blatant attempt to shield the government from peaceful
criticism,” the group’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, James
Gomez, said in a statement.
Malaysia’s National Union of Journalists said the bill
could easily be abused to stifle the media, as it would give the government
“unquestionable power” to remove articles deemed prejudicial to public order or
national security.
The 1MDB scandal, exposed by foreign media and news blogs
in 2015, refuses to die down despite Najib’s consistent denials of any
wrongdoing and his government’s firm grip on Malaysia’s state-owned mainstream
media.
Transactions related to 1MDB are under investigation in
six countries including the United States, where the Department of Justice has
launched civil cases to recover assets linked to the fund after investigations
under an anti-kleptocracy initiative.
The Malaysian government has acted harshly against media
reporting on 1MDB. It suspended one newspaper, The Edge, in 2015 and blocked
websites for publishing stories critical of Najib’s role.
A deputy minister was quoted in Malaysian media last week
as saying that any news on 1MDB that had not been verified by the government
was “fake”.
Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Joseph Sipalan; Editing
by Paul Tait and Robert Birsel
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