Fake news laws are fake solution

IN the waning days of the recent election campaign, then-opposition leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was investigated under the new anti-fake news law. Had he been charged and convicted, he could have spent as much as six years in prison. Instead, Dr Mahathir was elected prime minister with a pledge to repeal the law. 

After his unexpected success, Dr Mahathir initially seemed to back off his promise; other members of his government have since sent different signals. While Malaysians have many reasons to celebrate the opposition’s surprise victory, reneging on this pledge wouldn’t be one of them. Hence, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo’s announcement on Monday that his ministry plans to get the proposal to abolish the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 tabled in the Dewan Rakyat sitting later this month could not have come sooner.