YOURSAY | As it is, our press is over-regulated and restricted to the point of being insignificant.

Anti-fake news bill to be tabled in Parliament next week

Gerard Lourdesamy: This government defines fake news as any news deemed fake by the government.

The rush to pass the bill suggests that it is designed to stifle and intimidate Pakatan Harapan and the rakyat before GE14 so that the 1MDB scandal and Malaysian Official 1’s (MO1's) involvement through the likes of his associate Jho Low, stepson Riza Aziz and others is suppressed from public discussion and scrutiny.

Are we now a communist state under a leadership cult? As it is, our press is over-regulated and restricted to the point of being insignificant. There are enough laws under the Sedition Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), the Communication and Multimedia Act (CMA) and the Penal Code to restrict freedom of speech, expression and the press.

But the ruling party wants more restrictions so that all scandals can be hidden from public view. This fake news law must be rejected at all costs and there should be a campaign of civil disobedience against this unconstitutional law.

The BN is asking for a revolt in GE14 by proposing such an unjust and vile law.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Yes, this bill is really aimed at stopping 1MDB becoming fodder in GE14. Anyone raising the matter will be charged and in the event he or she wins, they would lose the seat.

It is as obvious as ABC. But the main question is who will decide what is fake news? If it is left to the government, they can’t be judge, jury and executioner.

Anonymous 242641505703475: Is 1MDB fake news or real news? Is money-laundering linked to 1MDB fake news or real news?

Were the two banks in Singapore closed down because of money-laundering fake news or real news? Some bankers in Singapore were jailed or fined or both in connection to 1MDB money-laundering case. Is that fake news or real news?

Was the Singapore court wrong in shutting down two banks? Was the Singapore court wrong in jailing or fining or both some bankers? Was it fake news or real news?

Is the US Department of Justice (DOJ) wrong in seizing assets? Is it fake news or real news? Who decides fake news or real news?

Kangkung: Minister in the PM’s Department Azalina Othman Said, we all know what fake news is.

DOJ's filings on the US$27.3 million allegedly stolen from 1MDB was used to buy a rare 22-carat pink diamond set in a necklace is fake news.

A total of US$4.5 billion that have been misappropriated from 1MDB is fake news. The US$250 million superyacht Equanimity bought by using funds diverted from 1MDB and seized by Indonesia is fake news.

The US$620 million (RM2.6 billion) transferred into MO1's personal bank accounts (No: 2112022011880 and 2112022011906) from the Singapore bank account of Tanore Corporation is fake news.

Nobrain: Based on what is said by the deputy minister for communication and multimedia (Jailani Johari), any news that is not verified by the government is fake news.

So the Indonesia police's seizure of the Equanimity, the FBI, the DOJ, and the governments of more than seven countries including Singapore are all guilty of spreading fake news. Unbelievable!

Oxymoronictendencies: Fake news – it is news that may or may not be true but news that the person describing it as fake doesn’t want you to believe. How do you legislate against that?

And who determines if the fake news is true or not. Surely not someone or some group appointed by PM Najib Razak or his minions? This sounds like legislated news censorship.

Malaysia sadly and meekly regresses further into a lookalike Zimbabwe-style dictatorship.

Anonymous 9916: Indeed, who are you trying to kid? The way this bill is rushed already shows something fishy is going on. When you say “unverified” news - do you mean unverified only in Malaysia or elsewhere too?

This is a sham and further attempt to thwart people’s freedom of speech. We are clearly spiralling towards dictatorship.

Anonymous 2436471476414726: If the bill is used to protect thieves and money launderers, then the rakyat object to it in the strongest term.

Billions of ringgit of our money had been stolen and all Umno/BN want to do is to shield the wrongdoers. The voters must rid of all those leaders who had totally lost their moral compass.

Headhunter: "However this bill will not in any way stifle the people's freedom of speech as provided for under the constitution," said Azalina.

Yes, we believe you. Like we believe that 1MDB is not a scam.

Negarawan: "This bill is being formulated to protect the public from fake news, and from becoming victims of fake news."

Well, this is a fake reason, isn't it? The real reason is to protect wrongdoers in Umno and their cronies, particularly MO1.

1MDB boss: Attacks over Good Star ownership just cheap publicity

Malaysia4All: Wow, despite all the international revelations, 1MDB president Arul Kanda still maintains that everything 1MDB did was above board. Just what is Arul smoking?

Does Arul think that the rest of the world is totally dumb, and he is the clever one? If so, Arul is in for one big awakening.

Some lies are too big to be covered, and 1MDB an example of such a lie that will not rest until the truth is totally uncovered.

Cogito Ergo Sum: We are not questioning the ownership of Good Star or any of the companies it has dealings with.

We are questioning how a sovereign wealth fund get into such dubious dealings that resulted in either a loss or brought in such low returns that we the people have to bail you out?

Anonymous 2436471476414726: Arul, why did 1MDB pay the US$700 million to Jho Low’s Good Star when they could and should have paid it to the joint venture company, 1MDB-PetroSaudi.

How is it that 1MDB only received the confirmation from PetroSaudi about the ownership of Good Star some six years later? Even Bank Negara confirmed Good Star is not a subsidiary of PetroSaudi but owned by Jho Low.

The fund units said to be worth US$2.3 billion is also another big lie. The external auditors Delloite had withdrawn their audit report for 2014 because the fund units so claimed by 1MDB cannot be verified.

The fund units were said to be held in BSI Bank Singapore. BSI had since been closed down by Singapore and 1MDB is unable to confirm where the units are now held, giving credence that such units never existed in the first place.

1MDB have yet to file the audited reports for 2015 and 2016, no doubt deliberately done to hide the ugly truth and expose all the lies that 1MDB had been telling.

Shame on you, Arul, for blatantly lying to the rakyat.

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