PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has refuted allegations that the Home Ministry will amend the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 to rein in online media in the country.
The Home Minister admitted there were discussions about the Act but said these involved aspects to raise the amount for compounds of infractions or breaches of the existing law.
"Amendments to control online media are definitely not on our radar," he said at a media conference here on Friday (March 1), adding that there was also no such suggestion from any party.
He also denied that the Home Ministry was opposed to the setting up of the Media Council as reported.
"I was shocked when I heard about this issue and the ministry secretary-general (Datuk Ruji Ubi) and I have seen and checked which parts we disagree with, it's not correct," he said, reiterating that the Home Ministry had no objection to setting up the council that is set to be tabled during the Parliament session in June.
In a separate development, Saifuddin said the rise in rape cases involving minors due to weaknesses and failure of civil law is false, adding that it was also not caused by unimplemented syariah enactments.
He was refuting a recent statement by Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman at the Dewan Rakyat that rape cases were involving minors were on the rise due to the failure of existing laws.
"The Syariah Criminal Code was crafted in Kelantan, which has the highest number of such cases, with 98% of its residents being Malay Muslims.
"Cases in Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu rose but have dropped in Penang. I'm comparing data from 2022 and 2023, with offenders from the B40 group," he said.
He said that the statement was based on an excerpt of a previous briefing given to him by Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.
"Now isn't the time to find fault as it is our shared responsibility to tackle this crime," he added. – Bernama
