With the anti-fake news bill expected to be tabled in Parliament next week, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh (above) has questioned whether it would apply to foreign media too.

“There have been numerous instances of severe criticisms by foreign media on 1MDB with some going as far as to suggest that the prime minister himself is implicated in the scandal.

“Would the proposed new fake news act apply to the said foreign media as well?

“Will the government seek the assistance of Interpol to arrest the authors of those damning articles in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and The Economist to face charges here under the said new act?” he asked in a statement today.

As the prime minister and the government had not commenced any legal action against such foreign media so far, Ramkarpal said it was “practically certain” that no action would be taken against them under the new law.

“It is likely that the purpose of the said new act is highly suspect and merely to shut out criticism of 1MDB, or for that matter, any other sensitive matter in the run-up to GE14,” he said.

To avoid further negative perceptions, the government should not table the anti-fake news bill which, he said, would attract further ridicule internationally on the “already dismal” record of freedom of speech in Malaysia.

“There is no doubt that fake news is a serious menace in this day and age and which needs to be addressed urgently but the question that arises is whether the motive behind the tabling of the said bill is genuine,” Ramkarpal noted.

He pointed out that Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Jailani Johari (above) had said any unverified 1MDB-related information will be considered fake news.

In saying this yesterday, Jailani also said that 1MDB had been investigated by the police and the findings submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) as well as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

As such, any news unverified by the authorities with expertise in the matter would be considered as fake news, said Jailani.

Ramkarpal said the findings by the authorities, however, could not be taken as conclusive as they were not binding conclusions based on evidence tested in a court of law.

“These said findings cannot be taken as conclusive evidence that certain criticisms of 1MDB which are not recognised by the said authorities are fake,” he said.