KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya had invited a total of 103 stakeholders, including civil society organisations (CSOs) and law enforcement agencies, for multiple engagement sessions regarding its move to regulate social media platforms through a licensing requirement.
Denying accusations that the government is silencing critics, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil pointed out that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had organised three dialogue sessions to gather input from various quarters.
“(The sessions) prove that MCMC and the government are willing to accept constructive views and criticism,” the minister told a press conference at his ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya today.
“There is a need to balance between our rights to free speech and to use the Internet safely.”
According to information provided to the media, MCMC had extended invitations to 79 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and CSOs, eight law enforcement agencies as well as 16 other groups.
However, only 27 out of the 79 rights groups had sent representatives for the sessions. Among the 52 entities that failed to attend the engagements were electoral watchdog group Bersih, which had previously raised concerns about the licensing law leading to power abuse.
In spite of its absence at the consultation sessions, Bersih cautioned in a July 30 statement that the licensing requirement could be used as a “political weapon” to stifle freedom of speech.
In its statement, Bersih, led by chairman Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, also backed Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and Article 19’s proposal for the government to halt its requirement for social media and messaging apps to apply for an annual licence effective today.
While CIJ and Article 19 had attended MCMC’s engagement sessions, another critic of the licensing initiative who had not presented itself at the dialogues was youth-based party Muda.
In an X post on July 29, the party’s acting president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz had questioned the rules and regulations behind the licensing initiative, accusing Putrajaya of attempting to control online narratives by banning social media platforms whose users criticise the government.
Fahmi, however, has repeatedly clarified that the main objective of the licensing of social media services is based on three factors, namely online fraud, cyberbullying and sexual crimes against children, and it is not to restrict freedom of expression.
Another political party MCMC had invited for its engagements was Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), which had managed to show up for the sessions.
It would appear that the commission had attempted to gather insight from various viewpoints, with gender rights group Justice for Sisters, which advocates for the wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, accepting the agency’s invitation to join the session.
While the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) did not show up, the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) had accepted MCMC’s invitation, with both groups known for their hardline Islamist views.
Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya, the sole student representative body invited, also did not present itself.
While NGO Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) had opted to contribute to the dialogues, the government’s Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) was among six entities under the “other organisations” category which recorded no-shows at the sessions.
The other five groups under the category which failed to attend the engagements were the Consumer Forum Malaysia, independent think tanks Emir Research, Institut Masa Depan Malaysia, and the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia, as well as the Shariah Lawyer Committee.
The Malaysian Bar, the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia, the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia (Isis), the National Union of Journalists, as well as the Khazanah Research Institute were among ten organisations part of the sessions.
Meanwhile, all eight of the law enforcement agencies invited, including Bank Negara Malaysia, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Inland Revenue Board, police and the Companies Commission of Malaysia, had also attended the sessions. – August 1, 2024