MALAYSIA needs an anti-fake news law, but it must be developed by the press and society, and not be used as a tool for power, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said.

He said he supported such a law, but was opposed to the one passed by the previous Barisan Nasional government, as it was not in the people’s interest.

“The act that was passed in Parliament wasn’t to fight fake news, but to preserve it; to allow (former prime minister) Najib (Razak) to continue with his 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal,” Lim said in a speech during a visit to the Tamil Malar newspaper’s office in Kuala Lumpur today.

He had accompanied Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran on the visit.

“We should have an anti-fake news act, but it must not be something imposed on the press and on society.

“It must not be an instrument of repression. It must not be used by the powers that be to preserve themselves. There must be an act, but it must come from the press.

“I propose that the press come up with it and promote it to the government. There’s no reason for all laws to come from the government.

“Some laws can come from society. Let an anti-fake news law be the first law to come from the press,” the Iskandar Puteri MP said.

The new Pakatan Harapan government is set to repeal BN’s Anti-Fake News Act, which was passed and gazetted before the May 9 election, when Parliament convenes next month.

Lim said the PH government wanted a free press and urged journalists to “tell the government when it does wrong”.

“Speak up, you have my full support. There must be a check and balance. As the press, you should tell us our mistakes,” he said.

Lim also praised the Tamil Malar staff for standing firm in their reporting.

The newspaper’s office was last year attacked, allegedly by a group of MIC Youth members, over the paper’s reporting which they called “pro-opposition”. – June 19, 2018.