Media laws will be used against opposition in GE14

Looi Sue-Chern Looi Sue-Chern Updated 8 years ago · Published on 23 Mar 2018 1:25PM · 2 Comments

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (right) and Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy today criticised the use of Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act against government critics. – The Malaysian Insight pic by David ST Loh, March 23, 2018.

PENANG Pakatan Harapan leaders say the Communications and Multimedia Act and a fake news law to be tabled in Parliament will be used against opposition leaders and their parties in the 14th general election. 

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is being investigated under Section 233 of the act over a video of him singing and dancing to an anti-goods and services tax song at the launch of a free tuition programme last Saturday. 

Yesterday, two DAP members M. Satees and David Marshel were also charged under the same law over Facebook postings last year that alleged MIC president Dr S. Subramaniam had handed out contracts to party-linked individuals, allowing them to make millions.

“In light of the elections, I think this act will be used more frequently,” Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy said at a press conference in Komtar today.

He asked why Satees and David were facing a criminal charge when the aggrieved party could have just sued them for defamation.

“Why are they facing a criminal charge? There are so many cases of abuse on the internet, but why zero in on this case?” Ramasamy said.

Section 233 deals with improper use of network facilities or network services to make or transmit comment, request, suggestion or other communication that is obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person, with or without disclosing his identity.

Lim described Section 233 as a “catch-all provision” aimed at opposition leaders and their parties to silent dissent.

“I had been harassed and insulted (many times) and I filed for defamation. 

“But if this is the case (the government’s use of Section 233), they should be going after many BN leaders who had made racist remarks, like turning over tables. Why is there no action?”

He was referring to a recent remark made by Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan, who told Umno Youth members to flip tables at coffee shops that had become “nests” of people who slander the government.

“Now they are using this act. With the Fake News Bill next, it will be worse because any news unverified by the authorities will be considered fake,” Lim added.

“If they say a man is a woman, then the man is a woman. Newspapers will not be able to print (news) freely.

“They intend to use it against the opposition parties, not to uphold real news. It is to fix up the opposition and cover up scandals… Is this what the country is coming to, with its gross abuse of power and trampling of democratic rights?” – March 23, 2018.

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Comments

  • Even if the government is breathing down the neck of the opposition, i no longer believe that it is because the opposition is good, and the government is bad, and that it is the nature of bad things to breath down the neck of good things. If the government is breathing down the neck of the opposition, i think it is because it can - if the opposition could, i think that the opposition would have breathed down the neck of the government too. I hope the opposition will try its best to fight the governments effort to breath down its neck. I think when you have to choose between two evils, you should choose the lesser of two evils, and i think the lesser of the two evil is the always the one that is the stronger than the two. I hope the opposition will fight the government in such a way that voters will be able to clearly see that its the opposition that is the side that is stronger than the two.

    Posted 8 years ago by Nehru Sathiamoorthy · Reply

    • I am just trying very hard to understand what you are rambling about. Are you writing your piece to earn your keep and to meet the quotas withou realising that it is shallow and an annoyance to both political divide eventho' you are trying to please your master. Every opposition in the world are facing a never level playing field in the GE as the incumbent government has the means and might to create such situation and worst is seen when the country is under a dictator ( non benevolent ) or kleptocrats. Undisputedly it is to their advantage in breathing their very hard and foul smelly stench breath on their opposition neck. It is understood. and no two way about it. If you want argument lets change the subject.

      Posted 8 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply