THE anti-fake news bill tabled in Parliament yesterday is too vague and is more far-reaching than the Official Secrets Act (OSA), said Mohamad Sabu.

Better known as Mat Sabu, the Amanah president said the bill, although accompanied with examples, did not define what “fake news” is.

“Where the OSA only talks about what is happening in Malaysia, like the purchase of military equipment… this fake news bill, we don’t know how far its reach is and how we interpret fake news,” he said at a press conference today after a book launch at Ampang.

At the tabling of the bill yesterday, the government provided several examples of what it deems to be fake news, among which was an advertisement depicting a caricature of a successful investor in an investment scheme, when the investor is actually not involved.

“So we are skeptical and are afraid that the law will be used to stop us from speaking freely, anything that is not verified by the government of Malaysia.

“Take what that has been revealed by the (United States) Department of Justice (DoJ) – are those things included in the fake news bill? Because it is not verified by the Malaysian government,” Mohamad said.

Lawyers have also said the Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 gives the government excessively broad powers, including extra-territorial jurisdiction that allows it to charge or detain any person, even outside Malaysia, whatever his nationality or citizenship, who publishes what it perceived to be fake news.

Mohamad said the vague wording of the bill was similar to the Internal Security Act (ISA), under which “anything that can cause chaos” using undemocratic means can be detained.

“But we see ISA is used on who? So the anti-fake news bill is also like that. It is too vague,” he said.

On matters of the Pakatan Harapan logo, he said Amanah would announce the logo that it will contest under this week.

“We will announce the results this week,” he said. – March 27, 2018.