THE speed at which fake news is being spread through the various platforms on the social media leaves much to be desired.

Those fabricated are just about everything under the sky – the Covid-19 pandemic, government policies, national immunisation programme, you name it.

Even the official visit of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is not spared, with accusations being hurled that the visit was a waste of public funds, that it should have been conducted virtually and so on.

It is clear that ignorance of cyberbullying is one of the reasons it has become deeply pervasive in the Malaysian cyberspace.

This is because most social media users are not even aware that they are bullies themselves as they do not understand or know the existence of certain provisions under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 which criminalise the use of internet facilities by any person to transmit any message deemed to be offensive and can cause annoyance to another person.

The psychological aspect of cyberbullying, according to a psychologist of Universiti Malaya, Professor Mariani Md Nor, could be due to bullies suffering from psychological disorders, lacking of empathy and possessing a lower emotional and spiritual quotient.

Such individuals generally are unstable and they tend to express their feelings on social media platforms without showing empathy.

The statement by Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah that the government will enact an anti-cyberbullying act, therefore, comes at the right time to deal with fake news offenders.

Indeed, it is timely and a move made in the right direction to fight such news. Saifuddin was quoted as saying that the draft of the law is still with the Attorney-General’s Chambers and he is hoping that it could be tabled in the next parliamentary sitting.

The ministry’s rapid response team set up to debunk fake news, spent hours every day to spot fake news which only cause panic, fear and worry among the public.

His statement that more than 80% of legal practitioners think that Malaysia needs specific laws for cyberbullying only emphasises the importance of anti-cyberbullying law to be enacted for the good of all.

Since coming to office about a year ago, the prime minister and his government have become targets of cyber bullying.

There seems to be no stopping cyberbullies and cyber troopers of politicians, especially opposition members and the likes, from hurling all kinds of allegations and accusations against Muhyiddin and his government while belittling their capabilities.

The attacks and criticisms are endless. Both Muhyiddin and the Perikatan Nasional government, however, have been committed and affirmative in sailing through all the obstacles.

Early this year, rumours were rife that the prime minister was undergoing cancer treatment, prompting the Prime Minister’s Office to issue a statement to quash such fake news.

And quite recently, the police said it would investigate fake news against the Covid-19 vaccine.

Fake news and cyberbullying in this modern era present a number of different challenges and solutions. In the past one year, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic started rearing its ugly head, the challenges to counter fake news and cyberbullying have intensified. – March 9, 2021.

* Narimah Atan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.