THE Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) wants Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to apologise over its removal of several social media posts by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

PMO, in a statement, said it had summoned Meta today to demand an explanation regarding the removal of the posts from Anwar’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

It also expressed its dismay over the suspension of the live streaming of the Palestine Liberation Rally on Berita RTM’s Facebook account last night.  

Also present at the meeting were the Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil, and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission chairman Mohamad Salim Fateh Din.

 “The PMO views Meta’s actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression. It is also seen as an affront to the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people in their pursuit of justice and human rights. 

“We also emphasised that the removal of these posts has deeply impacted the people of Malaysia and the global community, who are well aware of the suffering of the Palestinian people and the atrocities committed by the Zionist Israeli regime, as recorded in history. 

“The unilateral decision to censor content without considering the context of the posts clearly raises questions about the transparency of Meta’s content moderation policies. 

“As a result, the Prime Minister’s Office has demanded several actions, including a detailed explanation of Meta’s decisions to rectify the matter, along with a public apology from the company,” said the statement.

The posts removed by Meta included one where Anwar paid tribute to Haniyeh after he was killed in Tehran, Iran on July 31.

PMO said Meta will be issuing a press statement on the matter. – August 5, 2024.