Communications Act Amendments Passed In Bloc Vote

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The Dewan Rakyat approved the amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act after a bloc vote was called by the opposition. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat has passed amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA), which civil society groups have claimed were regressive.
The bill to amend the CMA was passed with 59 MPs voting in favour, 40 against and one abstaining after a bloc vote was called by the opposition.
The other 122 MPs were absent.
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the amendments balanced freedom of speech by imposing curbs for the sake of security, public order and morality.
“The amendments seek to find a new equilibrium between the freedom of expression and the benefits of the digital economy, while ensuring safety and security, especially for children and families,” he said in winding up the debate on the bill.
Fahmi said the amendments introduce stricter penalties for offences such as child exploitation and commercial distribution of pornography.
He said nothing in the law would govern the media and it mostly involves the telecommunications companies.
He also said the fines for various offences needed to be reviewed as they were only relevant to conditions that existed 26 years ago when the law was first put in place.
“It is not about regulating the media or individuals but about updating outdated provisions to reflect current realities,” he said.
He reiterated that provisions concerning social media or content application service providers only affected those running the service, not people who used them.
Previously, the Centre for Independent Journalism, and Article 19 opposed the amendments to the CMA, saying they would grant the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the communications minister overreaching powers without oversight and warned this could lead to censorship.
PAS’s Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) expressed concern that the amendments would shackle freedom of speech and the media.
William Leong (PH-Selayang) supported the intention behind the amendments, but said the scope of some provisions was too vague and required further refinements.
The PKR MP also said the government should allow the parliamentary committee on human rights, which he chairs, to look into the definitions in the law so they do not inadvertently curb speech. - FMT

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