KUALA LUMPUR: The government is ready to re-examine the essence of the Social Harmony Act that can be used in efforts to, among others, control the dissemination of information which can potentially harm the national unity and harmony in the country, especially in the cyberspace.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik (pix) said, however, there was no plan to reintroduce the Act at the moment.
“However, it is possible to create something else, to equip certain quarters with power to maintain harmony,” he told the Dewan Negara sitting here today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Asmak Husin who wanted to know government’s efforts to tackle the dissemination of information that could harm the racial integration among the virtual community in the country.
Dr Md Farid also expressed his disappointment that some parties abused the freedom of speech which was guaranteed by the government by disseminating inappropriate issues.
However, for the time being, he believed that the existing acts such as the Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, have provisions that could be used to curb the irresponsible dissemination of false information. — Bernama
