We Need Clear Laws On 3r Issues Says Pas Man

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Angie En Qi of DAP and Faizzuddin Zai of PAS (second and third from left) with Muda’s Abolqaz Anuar (second from right) and other panellists at a Bersih forum last night.
PETALING JAYA: It is difficult to be an effective opposition on social media due to the law’s lack of clarity on 3R issues (those concerning race, religion and royalty), says a PAS Youth leader.
Faizzuddin Zai, a member of the PAS Youth working committee, said the opposition needs to be guaranteed the right to express its opinions and give constructive criticism.
He lamented that it is only through police action against them that the opposition finds out about how the law deals with 3R issues.
“We are facing a difficult situation. It is difficult for us to express our views effectively.
“For instance, only the police, specifically the inspector-general of police, has pointed out that certain things that were said had touched on 3R issues,” he said in a forum co-organised by Bersih, when asked about the need for an online safety act to regulate misinformation.
Cases involving 3R matters are typically prosecuted under the Communications and Multimedia Act, which criminalises online content that is “obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character”, or the Sedition Act.
Abolqaz Anuar, head of Muda’s Damansara division, also raised the difficulty of enforcing an online safety act.
“The issue of misinformation is different from cyberbullying. Who decides whether information is right or wrong? It is very difficult to impose this act,” he said.
The issue of politics and religion also featured in the panel’s discussions.
Asked whether religion should play a more significant role in politics, speakers from DAP and Muda stressed the importance of not forcing other people to follow one’s rules under the pretext of religion.
Angie En Qi of DAP Youth said: “It (religion) should be between you and God. I am not very religious, but fundamental human values apply across religion. You don’t have to force them under the name of religion.”
Abolqaz said it is important to apply one’s religious values judiciously to live in harmony with people of other religions.
“Because we live in a multiracial country, we cannot force other people to follow Islam,” he said. - FMT

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