KUALA LUMPUR: Authorities need to investigate the authenticity of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) meeting minutes that went viral on social media on Saturday (July 12), says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
He said that if the document was verified as authentic and classified as confidential, its publication or distribution could have legal implications, particularly under the Official Secrets Act 1972.
"I understand a police report has been filed. I cannot confirm whether the document circulated is authentic or not. If it is a genuine and classified document, then the Official Secrets Act applies. Therefore, we need to be cautious and avoid disseminating classified documents.
"We leave it to the police to conduct the investigation, but so far, I have no information," he said during a press conference after officiating the Malaysian Institute of Public Relations You & AI: MEET@BANGSAR programme here on Sunday (July 13).
Also present were the Communications Ministry deputy secretary-general (strategic communications and creative industry) Nik Kamaruzaman Nik Husin, Director of the Tun Abdul Razak Broadcasting and Information Institute Roslan Ariffin, and IPRM President Jaffri Amin.
The alleged JAC meeting minutes, said to have occurred in May, have spread on social media since Saturday, reportedly starting from Reddit before going viral on Facebook and the X application.
Fahmi also reminded the media to always be cautious and adhere to legal provisions when reporting news.
When asked whether the matter would be discussed in the upcoming Cabinet meeting, Fahmi, who is also the government spokesperson, said it depended on the consideration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"Usually, the Prime Minister is very concerned about any issues that arise in public, so it is possible it will be discussed," he said.
Regarding the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's actions against the dissemination of the document on social media, Fahmi said any action would only be taken based on public reports, and the authority to remove content is subject to the discretion of the respective platform. - Bernama
