Pas Mp Why Didn T Govt Summon Malaykini Over Pm Cybertroopers Report

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PARLIAMENT | An opposition lawmaker has urged the government to take action against Malaysiakini over its report detailing a coordinated campaign by at least 263 accounts to artificially boost support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Facebook.
Referring to the exposé published on Sept 30, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) pressed Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching to address why Putrajaya has yet to “summon” the news site over claims made in the article.
“Why hasn’t the government summoned Malaysiakini to explain this matter? I believe (allegations in the report) aren’t true - the prime minister can’t be so desperate as to use fake accounts to praise himself.
“I think Malaysiakini should face action for spreading things that tarnish the prime minister’s image,” the PAS MP said in an additional question to Teo in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Fadhli (above) noted that besides brickbats from opposition figures, Rafizi Ramli (Harapan-Pandan) had also commented on the report, with the PKR lawmaker saying he had detected a similar pattern earlier this year on his social media posts.
Respecting media freedom
In response to the query, Teo pointed out that if the government were to take action and summon Malaysiakini representatives, the opposition would likely accuse it of disregarding media freedom.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie ChingHighlighting that Meta had earlier issued a statement denying any “abnormal activities” on Anwar’s Facebook page, Teo insisted that while fake accounts on the social media giant’s platforms remain a concerning issue, the matter involving Malaysiakini’s report should be viewed separately.
“Since Meta has stated there was no abnormal activity, I think we should accept that statement.
“The Madani government’s stance, as repeatedly emphasised by the prime minister, is to respect media freedom. If there’s an article we disagree with, we express our position, but it doesn’t mean we have to summon them for their statement every time,” Teo added.
Previously, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil had claimed neither his ministry nor the MCMC were responsible for the temporary suspension of two Facebook pages run by Malaysiakini.
The minister also said Meta had denied suspending the pages.
The suspension of Malaysiakini’s and KiniTV’s Facebook pages came hours after the news portal published the disputed report, the findings of which suggested that the use of coordinated inauthentic tactics to shape political discourse in Malaysia persists.
Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) had later warned that the government cannot stand idle when measures against the media are seen as heavy-handed and contrary to the government’s declared stance. - Mkini

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