KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil has condemned the bullying and threats directed at Universiti Malaya (UM) student Ummi Umairah Bakhit following views she expressed at a forum.
He also urged all victims of cyberbullying to immediately lodge reports with the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
He said that acts of berating or threatening the student, including threats to track her down at the university, did not reflect proper decorum in communication and should not occur simply because of differences in opinion.
"We can have different views, that's not a problem. In Ummi's case, she expressed her views and we know that university students now have the right to speak up.
"So, we should welcome this because she has not violated any laws, nor has she committed any criminal offence. She only addressed matters concerning the crime of corruption," he told reporters after attending the Smart Parents Interactive Hub Programme here on Sunday (Oct 18).
During the recent open forum with Umno leaders, Ummi Umairah questioned the public's decision to donate money to help former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pay a court-imposed fine of RM50mil.
Her remarks subsequently drew backlash on social media, including comments containing threats against her.
Meanwhile, Fahmi expressed his utmost respect for the decree by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, who had reminded the public to observe proper etiquette when communicating on social media.
Fahmi said users should not assume that online posts carried no consequences, including when accounts used were believed to be fake.
He said the MCMC was also investigating several incidents of coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB) targeting Sultan Ibrahim and the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
He said over 2,000 pieces of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated or highly offensive content, along with 600 fake accounts, had been identified as insulting His Majesty.
"Preliminary investigations by MCMC found that most of the fake accounts attacking His Majesty on Facebook were believed to originate from overseas, and investigations are ongoing.
"If we positively identify specific individuals, we will strive to bring them to justice," he added.
Regarding the case targeting Tuanku Muhriz, Fahmi said number of fake accounts were believed to have been created about a month ago before being used to incite discussions containing insults against the royal institutions.
He said some of the accounts had no followers or only one follower, raising suspicions that they had been created for a specific purpose.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the government is studying the need to introduce more stringent regulatory mechanisms, including electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) processes and age verification, to combat cyberbullying on instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.
He said although WhatsApp had set a minimum age of 16 for opening an account, the platform continued to pose safety challenges, especially among school students, because communications on the service were protected by end-to-end encryption.
"Under the Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA), communication services such as WhatsApp are not currently covered.
"As such, I will request that MCMC examine the matter and engage with Meta, which introduced WhatsApp, as the platform itself has set a minimum age requirement," he said. - Bernama
