KUALA LUMPUR: The right to speak and the freedom of our people must be preserved and defended, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
"I'm puzzled, why today the government seems to be trying to restrict the people's freedom of speech, when before it was proclaimed that 'the voice of the people is the voice of God'," the MCA president said.
Addressing a gathering that also included Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Dr Wee expressed concern over apparent attempts to restrict the people's freedom of expression.
"In this hall (San Choon Hall), there are many whose videos have been taken down from social media, such as secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon.
"How many videos have been affected, deleted, removed?" he said at the 71st MCA annual general meeting held at Wisma MCA on Sunday (Oct 20).
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching had earlier stated that social media platforms independently remove content based on their assessments and user abuse reports, not just government requests via the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
While the Government Takedown Request Report indicates TikTok received 1,862 requests from the Malaysian government, it also highlights that there were 6,231 total requests for content removal.
Muar MP Syed Saddiq claimed that the government sought the removal of TikTok videos uploaded by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
These videos addressed the privatisation of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and mentioned American company BlackRock, which is purportedly linked to Israel.
However, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil later clarified that neither his ministry nor the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) were involved in the removal of these videos.
