Umno Youth will be holding a cycling event in conjunction with Malaysia Day as part of a campaign against online slander.

The wing's housing and urban wellbeing bureau chief Nazir Hussin Akhtar Hussin said that event will adopt the #tolakfitnahmediasosial and #sayasayangmalaysia hashtags as its theme.

Nazir Hussin said that the Malaysia Day Ride 2015 will help improve ethnic ties which were affected by vicious rumours spread on social media, such as during the recent riot outside Low Yat Plaza.

"Social media is very important. It doesn't need to be closed, but the lies need to be stopped," he said at the pre-launch for the event at PWTC today.

He said that although the event is organised by Umno Youth, he said that it was not a political event and hoped all Malaysians will join in and not just Umno members.

Nazir Hussin hopes 10,000 cyclists will join the event.

BN strategic communications director Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who officiated the pre-launch, said the anti-slander campaign was creative and timely.

Amend cyber laws

He also said online slander had reached a critical stage, and may require government intervention.

"If we can't have the self-discipline (to not spread slander) then the government has to step in," he said.

The Housing and Local Government minister ( photo ) said this includes amending the Multimedia Act and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act, to give the MCMC greater authority.

The Malaysia Day Ride 2015 will be held at 8pm on Sept 11.

The cycling route is 38km long with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak expected to flag off the race at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

Entry is RM50 per person to cover the cost of the cycling jerseys.

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