KULAI: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) received 29 complaints related to online content involving fake news, hate speech and scams during the campaign period for the 16th Johor state election.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said 17 of the complaints were related to the dissemination of fake news, while 11 involved hate speech and one concerned a fake account and impersonation.
"Nine hate speech cases involved racial issues, while one case each related to religion and the monarchy, categorised as 3R (race, religion and royalty) content," she told reporters after casting her ballot at SJKC Kulai Besar here Saturday (July 11).
Teo urged the public, especially voters, to be more vigilant against the spread of unverified information and not be easily misled by fake news or statements containing hate speech.
"Be digitally literate netizens and voters so that we can exercise our voting rights wisely," she said.
Meanwhile, Teo, who is also the Kulai MP, expressed her appreciation to all election personnel for ensuring the smooth conduct of the Johor state election polling process.
The 16th Johor state election sees 172 candidates contesting 56 State Legislative Assembly seats, with more than 2.6 million registered voters deciding the outcome Saturday. - Bernama
For the latest updates on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://elections.thestar.com.my/.
