Malaysia may face political instability if its detractors continue to disparage the government and the nation's leaders, say political and economic analysts.

Many of them, they say, do not realise the adverse effects of their anti-government rants, especially those that go viral in social media.

Senior lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia’s Centre for International Studies Associate Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said political instability could lead to a dip in investors’ confidence in Malaysia and keep tourists away, and even trigger racial and religious conflicts.

“Crisis after crisis will put a damper on the nation's economic growth and development. If our economy suffers, the people will get angry and start protesting, and a situation like the Arab Spring may occur in our country. It (Arab Spring) was caused by poverty and high levels of unemployment among the people in the Arab world,” he said.

Stable but at risk

Mohd Azizuddin acknowledged that the political situation in Malaysia was currently stable but, he pointed out, problems could arise if negative elements were given a free rein to do what they like, particularly in social media, and if no action was taken against them.

He said while the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees ensured no censorship of the Internet, there were other laws like the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, Communications and Multimedia Commission Act 1998 and Sedition Act 1948 to check any abuse of the right to freedom of expression.

“Too much freedom of speech can lead to subversive elements spreading slander and deviant teachings in cyberspace,” he told Bernama.

He said social media, which provide greater leeway to the right to freedom of expression, was a fairly new phenomenon and it has now become the most dominant medium of communication not only in Malaysia but in the rest of the world as well.

Politicking

While many tend to believe that politicians were the ones who were likely to use the freedom of expression licence in social media to attain their political ambitions, Mohd Azizuddin said leaders of the various political parties should also be blamed for “promoting politicking”.

He said continuous attacks on the government were, indeed, cause for concern as it could disrupt the ruling coalition’s focus and the people may end up not being able to enjoy the fruits of the government’s development policies.

“I think all the parties concerned should focus on the nation’s development agenda and prospering the people. All that politicking must subside,” he said.

He said Malaysians should always be rational and not be overly emotional when discussing issues that could smear the image and credibility of the nation.

“We must have a sense of responsibility and try not to abuse social media as it can destabilise our country. The government should also interact directly or engage more frequently with the people through social media in order to earn their trust,” he said.

Strict enforcement

Mohd Azizuddin said all federal government agencies should have their own information technology (IT) units to fend off allegations and criticisms hurled at them via social media.

“Malaysia has enough laws to check elements that disrupt the nation’s stability. Our main weakness is not being able to enforce these laws effectively and we also lack a proper information delivery system to enable the government to interact directly with the people on social media,” he added.

Economic analyst Prof Mohd Yusof Kasim, meanwhile, urged the relevant agencies to monitor the circulation of baseless allegations and false information about the country.

“The agencies and ministries involved should take immediate action against the perpetrators. Take them to court, if not they will continue to make all kinds of allegations,” said Mohd Yusof, who is also Cooperative College of Malaysia board chairperson.

Clarify issues on economy

He said currently there was much debate on the nation’s economy in social media but most of the issues raised were not based on the truth and, as such, the misinformation was causing much concern and confusion among the people.

“If such comments are allowed to flourish, then outsiders may think that we have problems (in managing our economy). Such a perception can, over the long term, disrupt the flow of foreign investments (into our country),” he said.

Dismissing claims that Malaysia’s economy was in a bad state, he said its fundamentals remained strong while foreign direct investments were on the rise.

“As for the depreciation of the ringgit, other countries were facing similar problems, too, with their currencies. There are many factors that are beyond our control. Any government can be saddled with problems, but what matters is how it deals with them,” he said.

Mohd Yusof hoped the government would, from time to time, clarify issues regarding the economy that were being circulated in social media.

“If the truth about the economy is not revealed to the public, (all those false news in social media) may not give a good picture of our nation’s economic health,” he added.

- Bernama