Reject those friendly to our enemies, says Salleh

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Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak has urged the people to reject anyone who are friendly with the enemies of the country.

"My own home state, Sabah, is not exempted from enemy threat, both from within and without," he said in a statement today.

Though Salleh did not mention names, PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has been receiving brickbats since pictures of her with self-styled Sulu princess Jacel H Kiram were circulated on social media.

Kiram has been described as an "enemy of the state" following the 2013 Sulu incursion into Lahad Datu, Sabah.

On Thursday, Nurul Izzah ( photo ) was referred to the Parliament's Rights and Privileges Committee, following her meeting with Kiram.

Salleh also urged the information department to prepare for the coming Sarawak state elections.

"There is a huge probability of the Sarawak state elections being held next year.

"Hence, I want to ask the information department to be ready to play its role to deliver all important information to the rakyat, including explanations on the benefits of the Budget 2016 to the rakyat," he said.

This is because, he explained, BN must be defended in Sarawak and Sabah for "political stability" and "sustainable development" in the two states.

In discussing information dissemination, Salleh said one cannot escape the importance of social media as a medium.

"Today, an organisation, whether they want to or not, must use social media as a channel to spread information," he said.

Salleh urged the information department to use social media to explain current issues and government policies so that the people, including those in Sabah and Sarawak, will understand them better.

However, he stressed that the challenge of social media is that there are those who abuse it to spread misinformation.

Light punishment, he said, would not be enough to deter such abuse.

"So, our ministry has already taken the initiative to table an amendment draft of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 in the Dewan Rakyat to prevent unhealthy activities on social media," he said.



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