Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission takes a stand against hate speech

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) chairman, Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din put out a statement warning netizens to avoid sharing hateful content relating to race, religion and royalty (3Rs) on social media and messaging applications. The statement went up on MCMC’s official page on 19 March 2023.

The warning comes shortly after incidents relating to the 3Rs have been said to have the potential to affect public order and harmony of the country. The statement went on to define hate speech as words or visuals that ‘accuse, demean the value of an individual based on racial, ethnic, religious or nationality.’

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Hence, to curb the spread of falsehoods and offensive comments, MCMC will be monitoring the social media platforms and action is said to be enforced against those who go against the existing laws to maintain public order. MCMC seems to have firmed up its stance on the issue after communications and digital minister, Fahmi Fadzil hinted at it earlier this month.

He had dissuaded Malaysians from posting about sensitive issues on social media and took to his Facebook account to reinforce that in Malaysia. “We do not prevent people from creating, expressing or speaking, but we have laws, manners and culture.” He added that it is important to remember that although Malaysians have the right to speak up, they do have the right to spread slander and false information.

Just this month, Malaysian film Mentega Terbang was under fire for allegedly insulting Islam. Seniman, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that fights for the fate of artists in Malaysia lodged a police report against the film for promoting seditious content. According to media reports, the NGO’s secretary-general said that Seniman is concerned about a scene in the film that could potentially affect racial harmony by discussing Islam.

The ministry has also been on the ball regarding debunking and rectifying social media’s role in spreading falsehoods and controversial content. The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission made nearly 350 requests to TikTok to take down comments from the app after it became a hotbed for political advertising during the election last year.

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