Islam and other religions are not under threat in Malaysia and anyone who creates such scare stories is polarising race and religious relations and undermining national unity, and stern action should be taken against them.
The Centre for Independent Journalists (CIJ), together with the University of Nottingham Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Univesiti Malaysia Sabah recently released a report titled “Social Media Monitoring of Malaysia’s 15th General Elections” which found that PAS and its president Abdul Hadi Awang were the most strident in inciting ethnic-based narratives on social media in the lead-up to the 15th general election (GE15).
Is this the reason why PAS and Hadi had been silent on the damning findings of the analysis which found Hadi and PAS as the biggest amplifiers of race and religion in the last general election?
Are the six state elections expected by August to see the continued weaponisation of racial and religious issues online by political parties, gravely undermining national unity?
I urge the government to monitor hate speech and divisive language on the social media platforms which gravely undermined national unity, and to act on the recommendations of the report on the social media in the 15th General Elections.
Among the recommendations are the establishment of a multi-stakeholder Independent Commission to address the escalation of harmful narrative and hate speech, which should be tasked to:
- Review the root causes and drivers of harmful narratives and hate speech, especially in the context of race and religion;
- Consult with civil society organisations to better understand the nature of hate speech and its likelihood of harm and how to proportionately respond to hate speech; and
- Develop concrete actions and recommendations, across different actors and platforms, and in line with international standards, specifically the Rabat Plan of Action.
The analysis also recommended that the government initiate more comprehensive media and digital literacy programmes to educate students and public on the dangers of hate speech and promote equality, non-discrimination, diversity and inclusivity
But the government should ensure that any measures adopted to combat hate speech do not unduly impair freedom of expression and speech.
I call on the government to give a Ministerial statemen before Parliament ends tomorrow on its response to the report “Social Media Monitoring. of Malaysia’s 15th General Elections”.