Malaysians too will soon abandon popular social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as has happened in Europe, once their interest in these media reaches a plateau.

Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said this during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

"The problems with Twitter and Facebook in Malaysia will soon reach the same stage, as they did in Europe.

"People will start to desert these activities, which were once highly used, until they fall to a moderate level, subscribed to mainly by the youth," Rais said in answer to a supplementary question from Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong).

The original question was from Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong), who asked what, if any, were the measures taken by the government to curb abuses on social media such as Facebook .

'No government agency controls Internet traffic'

The minister asured Noraini that no government agency, including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, monitored or controlled Internet traffic or content found on the webpages, blogs and social media sites.

sk devamany However, Rais said, the existing legislation does allow the government and the Attorney-General to press criminal charges under provisions of laws governing sedition and defamation.

On another matter, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department SK Devamany ( left ) told the Opposition not to 'disturb' Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and BN's term in power so as to allow time for the government to realise Malaysia's vision to become a developed nation by the year 2020.

"We need the opposition, but a responsible one. We need to give the PM the mandate to go on for another eight years, so do not disturb," Devamany told the Dewan also during Question Time.

He was responding to a supplementary question from parliamentarian Mohamad Aziz (BN-Sri Gading).

"Don't follow what happened in South America and overseas... We in Malaysia are always in peace and harmony," Devamany declared.