Fahmi Fadzil debunks rumour spreading online

Fahmi Fadzil, communications and digital minister, debunked the rumours that his ministry will be taking action against individuals who are using the hashtags  #PMKoyakiisfake and #KerajaanKoyak.  Netizens were spreading a fake Twitter screenshot on Facebook, which led to others accusing the minister of being a free-speech naysayer.



He issued a statement on his Facebook page saying the move was an "evil slander" by an irresponsible party, and netizens should be checking facts before spreading it. 

Earlier this month, the minister issued a statement at a media conference regarding his position on free speech. He spoke in defence of it, with the caveat being that it should be within the limits of existing laws.

Fahmi said that what is spoken in the name of free-speech should “have a basis and can be defended in court. To ensure a balance between free speech and abiding by legal boundaries, Fahmi mentioned the ministry’s commitment to closely cooperating with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commision (MCMC) and social media platform operators in order to discuss concerns over misinformation, extremist content an d its regulatory framework. According to The Star, Fahmi said that free speech should not be used to make baseless accusations or defamatory purposes.

On 14 December 2022, Fahmi said in Bicara Naratif programme that the ministry of communications and digital is looking into cyber security issues in order to protect individuals from being vulnerable to online threats such as fraud or information theft. He said that it is imperative to “have an understanding that data is a national treasure, everything revolves around data, safe data, then our future is safe.” With regard to the importance of safety of data, Fahmi also referenced the incident in 2017 where more than a 100 million sets of personal data were lost and stolen by fraudulent parties.

During the 14th General Election in 2018, Fahmi won the Lembah Pantai seat, defeating Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin. He also retained the seat during the recent elections, Bernama added. Annuar Musa, Saifuddin Abdullah, and Gobind Singh Deo previously helmed the role as multimedia ministers.

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