KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has ordered political leaders to uphold proper conduct and decorum, and to exercise caution when making public statements.
Sultan Ibrahim said politicians should refrain from provoking sensitive issues, especially ahead of elections, which often become a platform for them to seek prominence and win public support.
“Avoid provocation and disputes over sensitive issues relating to the royalty, race and religion, as they can arouse public anger.
“Jangan kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga (do not let one bad deed spoil the whole endeavour),” His Majesty said.
The King was speaking at the investiture ceremony held in conjunction with His Majesty’s official birthday celebration, Bernama reported.
Sultan Ibrahim also said that freedom of speech on social media should not be used as a platform to spread slander and hatred among the people.
His Majesty said the situation has become more complicated with the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to generate fake news through the use of fabricated voices and images in deepfake videos on social media.
The King also expressed his disappointment that his images had been used in fake videos and content to mislead the public.
As such, His Majesty ordered the relevant authorities to continue strengthening monitoring efforts and take appropriate action to curb such activities.
Sultan Ibrahim also extended his congratulations to all recipients of this year’s federal awards, honours and medals.
His Majesty reminded the recipients that the awards were not for self-glorification, but should serve as an encouragement to continue serving religion, race and the country with sincerity.
“The Queen and I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for the messages of goodwill and prayers from the people, which have accompanied me every step of the way in carrying out my duties and responsibilities as Head of State.
“Let us pray that our beloved nation, Malaysia, will continue to be blessed with peace, prosperity and divine grace, and that its people will continue to live in harmony and unity,” His Majesty said.
